Love Thy Neighbor
by Sucker4Scandal
Summary: Fitz is a resident at a hospital in New York who works all kinds of hours. Olivia is a loud tenant who lives in the apartment next door to him. They get off to a rocky start, but eventually learn to co-exist and eventually discover that loving your neighbor is good for your heart.
1. Chapter 1

Howdy Neighbor

It had been a shitty day.

It all started out when he had tipped up his go cup of coffee for a sip before walking out the door. The lid on his cup hadn't been secured, and the piping hot brown liquid soaked his face. The front of his work uniform was wet now too, and he had a nice sized brown stain on it. He put his cup into the sink and began the process of taking off his clothes as he walked back to his bedroom to find something to change into.

Ten minutes later, he strode into the kitchen wearing an exact replica of the now stained uniform. He quickly filled the sink up with cold water and dumped a little liquid laundry detergent in the water, before adding his stained clothes to it. He almost fell on his ass in the kitchen when he realized there was spilled coffee on the floor as well. He dipped a clean hand towel into the soapy water, wrung it out, and then dropped to his knees to begin wiping the floor clean. He threw the hand towel into the washing machine and promised himself he'd wash all that shit tonight when he got home.

He tried hailing a cab, but because it was pouring, he was basically invisible to the quickly moving yellow cars. Thankfully, he had brought his umbrella, and he began walking to the closest intersection in hopes of getting a cab from there. When a cab finally did stop and let him in, he couldn't remember being happier.

A co worker called in sick and then posted on Instagram a photo of her and her husband kissing at the top of the Statue of Liberty. He commented 'I hope you feel better soon' on the picture out of spite. Not that she would care. His boss had been hounding him about things that needed doing. People that needed to be seen. Notes that needed to be typed up. Running around in every direction all day long. And then checking in with him after he was done so he could give him another long list of shit to do. In other words, his boss wanted him to do his job for him.

People were assholes.

Maybe it was just the people in New York?

He didn't know, and right now he didn't have the luxury of letting it be more than a passing thought in his brain. He checked in with everyone he was supposed to and did all the errands that needed to be done. He let his boss know the news, to calm his busy ruffled feathers. Then he got down to business with his own work.

When his stomach growled hours later, signaling it was time to take a break he walked to the refrigerator in the break room to heat up his Chinese leftovers from the night before. Instead of finding his lunch where he had put it when he arrived at work earlier that morning, someone had stolen it from the refrigerator. Whoever the hungry thief had been, was thoughtful enough to leave the empty container, as if saying please refill this for me. He threw it back into the refrigerator and sighed loudly. Fucker!

He walked three blocks over and grabbed a hot dog and a soft drink from a vendor outside. It had stopped raining, so that was something decent. He ate as he walked back, begrudging the idiot who had eaten his intended lunch. Hating him for leaving the dirty empty dishes in the refrigerator.

He trudged through the rest of the day, submitting his work to his boss, and walked out the door at six thirty. Only an hour and a half after the normal quitting time today. Some days it was much later than that. He couldn't wait to get home, eat dinner in peace and quiet, and go to bed early. Oh! And do the damned laundry.

He grabbed take out at the Mexican restaurant on his street and walked the rest of the way home. If he had any leftovers, he would be leaving them at home where he knew they would be there when he returned. He walked into his apartment and had just gotten settled at his tiny round kitchen table when he heard screams coming from the apartment next door.

He threw the plastic fork onto the table and sighed. Fucking hell! Not again! He ran his fingers through his hair as frustration seeped out of his entire body. "Not tonight!" he mumbled angrily.

It would have surprised him to hear screaming, but he always heard screams coming from the apartment next door. Sometimes it sounded like a wild porno in the making with lots of excited oooooh's, ahhhhh's, and give it to me baby. Other times it sounded like someone was being murdered. This time is was the latter.

He really didn't have the strength to deal with this tonight. Not after the kind of unbearable day he had already lived through. He could hear every word they said, which made it infinitely worse. To know a complete stranger's personal business as you sat and minded your own was unnerving.

The woman who lived in the apartment where the loud voices were currently coming from was a tiny little thing he had briefly met a few months ago in the lobby when they both happened to be getting their mail at the same time. She had spoken to him first, saying hello. He had repeated her cheerful  
greeting back to her with a smile. And then she disappeared down the hall towards her apartment. That had been it. Short and sweet.

There was nothing short and sweet about this argument though. It had been going on for over a half hour already, and it didn't sound like the end was anywhere near. Apparently, her boyfriend was visiting again tonight and the two of them had found something to disagree about loud enough that damn near the entire building could hear. He wondered if the super would tell them to shut the hell up? He wondered if he should call him and ask him to?

He didn't want to be that guy, but he had to get some sleep tonight. Last night had been the porno kind of screaming and sleep evaded him as the sounds of...whatever the hell they had been doing to each other easily snuck through the cracks of the thin walls that separated their living spaces. He had never prayed for someone to orgasm before in his life, but finally, at two a.m. they reached their peak and he slept for three solid hours. He couldn't do another sleepless night tonight.

He heard the man yell, "if you would just give me a chance to explain it to you!"

Obviously, those weren't the magic words to end the argument, because she went on a five minute tirade about why he wouldn't have anything to explain if he had been where he was said he was going to be in the first place. As he sat at his window with his chin resting on his palm, looking down at the darkened city, he had to admit that that made perfect sense. He stood up quickly, realizing he had been listening intently to their argument and had gotten sucked into it somehow. He had to get the hell out of there or get them to stop screaming at each other.

He was not about to be run out of his home just because two adults were having a knock down drag out fight like a couple of assholes. He went to his door, opening it wide and knocked on his neighbor's door. The ridiculously loud voices immediately silenced, and the male asshole answered it. He had on blue jeans and a plain white t shirt. A five o'clock shadow darkened his jaw. He probably hadn't had time to shave with all the variations of screaming lately? "Yea? Whaddya want?" The asshole asked as he stared down the stranger on the other side of the doorframe.

He hadn't really figured out what he was going to say, so he just went with the obvious. "Hey. I live next door, and was wondering if the two of you could keep it down a little bit please? I didn't get any sleep last night because of...well, it doesn't matter why. If you could just not yell as loud as you have been, that would be great."

"Who is it?" The female asshole asked.

Her voice sounded much more pleasant when she wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Some guy. Says he's your neighbor." He said, looking over his shoulder into the apartment behind him. He opened the door a little wider and the small woman, who looked nothing like an asshole at all, popped up from under the man's arm.

"Hi." She began. "I'm really sorry we were being so loud. We're having a bit of an argument and it kinda got out of control."

"Hi. Yea. It was a little loud. I'm not usually one to complain, I just didn't get any sleep last night from all the noise either." He explained.

"Last night?" She seemed to recall what she and the asshole had been doing the night before. Color bloomed across her face as the memory hit her like a ton of bricks. "Right. Last night. I'm sorry about that too."

"No problem. New York housing has paper thin walls." His face turned horrified and he spoke quickly, trying to explain. "Not that I was listening. I wasn't! I'm not a listener. Not at all! I just meant...Shit."

She smiled at him. He was cute when he was embarrassed. So, he had heard them having sex last night? It was a good thing it was fantastic, because it was also the last time she would be heard with the moron beside her. She had been waiting for a good reason to dump his ass and he had provided it by lying to her. She eyed her handsome neighbor up and down quickly and decided he probably was so tightly wound because he needed to get laid sometime soon too? She'd have to think about that after she got rid of the moron. She shrugged lightly. "It's okay. We're all adults here. Besides, I can hear you singing when you make blueberry pancakes every Saturday morning."

He stared at her through narrowed eyes. "I can completely understand how you can hear me singing, but how in the hell do you know what I'm cooking?"

She smiled at him, liking his inquisitive nature already more than she should. "I could smell them."

"Bullshit. There's no way that's true!" he said disbelieving.

"Yea, it isn't." She giggled. "I also saw you at the grocery store a few times buying a pint of blueberries towards the end of the week."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her. She had the cutest giggle he'd ever heard. He leaned comfortably on the door frame, still smiling at her. "So what you're saying is you like to spy on me in public places?"

He came off as sweet and innocent, but she had a feeling there was more to her mystery neighbor than met the eye. He seemed to be...flirting with her? With her current boyfriend standing right there no less. Her smile grew bigger at the realization. "You were speaking in another language and I was being nosey. I might have followed you around a little bit? From a respectable distance, of course."

She followed him around the grocery store? Now wasn't that interesting? "Of course. See, I call my mother every Saturday. She pretty much demands it even though I'm in my thirties. And she only speaks German to me even though she can speak perfect English. It can get annoying at times."

He hated to break up old home week, but the asshole cleared his throat. "Are the two of you all caught now on each other's lives?"

The neighbor stood up from his leaned position on the doorframe and said, "Yea. Sorry. Like I said, if the two of you could keep it down just a little, I'd really appreciate it."

"No problem. Sorry to have kept you up at night." She said smiling at him. She started to close the door and then stopped and stepped towards him, sticking out her right hand. "I'm Olivia, by the way."

He took her soft tiny hand into his and pumped it up and down gently. "Fitz." He replied.

"Great name. Very unusual too. Are you named after someone in your family?" Olivia asked.

"No one cares." The asshole called out from inside the apartment.

He chose to ignore the asshole. Smiling, he shook his head back and forth. "No, but I like to think creative minds are given creative names."

"I didn't say it was creative. I said it was unusual." She flirted.

"And what kind of name is Olivia? Besides, creative and unusual?" He really didn't want to leave her door, but knew his ass was pushing it by standing there continuing this conversation. She obviously had an argument to finish.

He was kinda sexy when he tilted his head to the side and grinned like a little kid. She really needed to close the door and kick the idiot in the next room out to the curb. But this man, Fitz, was talking to her like he was genuinely interested. And about something stupid like her name. "I don't know anything about how I got the name or what it means. But it's what I've got to work with in life."

"And what do you do for work in life, Olivia?" He asked playfully.

"For chrissakes! Why don't the two of you go to dinner one night and catch up on all the gossip with each other!"

Olivia turned around and angrily yelled, "Shut the fuck up!" She turned back to face her handsome neighbor and whispered, "Sorry about that. You won't hear us arguing any more after tonight. I'm dumping his sorry ass."

He smiled at her. "That saddens my soul to hear."

"You're a bad liar, Fitz." She giggled. "I gotta go. We'll keep it down. I promise. Nite."

"Goodnight. And thank you." He half walked half floated back into his own apartment with a huge grin on his face. Olivia. This night hadn't been a total waste after all? He had discovered some new found boldness he didn't know he possessed, and he straight up flirted with the enchanting little woman next door whose name he now knew was Olivia.

Five minutes later, the screaming started back next door, loud as ever. Fitz grinned as he laid down in his bed and fell comfortably to sleep.

 **Please give me some feedback on this one. I'm anxious to know what you think about it. Let me go ahead and disclaim that any medical stuff in this story will always come from Google. Thank you for reading the first installment. You guys know I love you for your amazing support & endless encouragement!**


	2. The Land of Noise

**The Land of Noise**

It had been a full week of blissfully peaceful sleep at night. No screaming sex sounds. No screaming murder sounds. It was amazing how great he felt after getting a solid night's sleep for a change. As he made his bed, he wondered what Olivia was up to over in her apartment? He wondered if she was still asleep or if she was getting ready for work or had in fact, already left? He realized that she never told him what she did for a living last week.

Shrugging, he went into the kitchen and poured coffee into his go cup, making sure the lid was on correctly. He never did get the damned coffee stain completely out of his uniform from the last time he hadn't been so careful with the lid. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He turned the coffee pot off and headed for the door. Once he was out in the hall, he locked the door behind him and turned to continue making his way down the hall.

Stepping outside he saw the people in the city going busily about their day. Some were headed for work, some were headed home, and some were headed for breakfast. If anyone was purposefully up at this hour for any other reason, Fitz couldn't fathom it. He himself was not a morning person. He hated mornings. He hated the hour at which he had to wake up to get ready for work. A job where his skills would be useful from noon until eight p.m. would be ideal.

He was headed to the corner to try and catch a cab when he saw her. Olivia. She was wearing a short black skirt and white blouse. She had on heels that made her appear a good three inches taller than she really was. Her hair hung down the middle of her back and blew in the warm spring air. She looked beautiful. Fitz watched her for a bit as he slowly made his way toward the corner.

Olivia saw him walking towards her and a huge grin split her face and she began to wave madly at him. He waved back and quickened his steps until he reached her. "You're gonna be late for work." She informed him.

Squinting at her, Fitz asked, "how do you know my schedule?"

"We covered this the last time we spoke. Paper thin walls. You also have a loud alarm. It wakes me up half the time." she chuckled.

"Right. So, where are you headed at this hour?" he asked feeling sly for getting the question in the conversation.

"Work." she stated simply.

"And where is that?" Getting information from her was like pulling teeth.

"In the heart of the city. Tall building. Drab color. Lots of offices. Probably the same place where you work." she teased.

"Funny. I haven't seen you in the halls." he said smiling. "But you definitely just described where I work too." He figured if she wanted to keep it from him it was her right. It was none of his business.

"What's for dinner tonight?" she asked, with her eyes on the approaching taxi.

"You want to come over for dinner?"

"No, I asked what you were having for dinner." she said with a grin. "There's a difference."

"Ohhhh." He was mortally embarrassed now having assumed she wanted to come over to his place for dinner and invited herself. "I hadn't really thought about it yet. Probably leftovers?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "That's sad. You're a single guy, with I'm assuming, a decent job. Why are you eating leftovers? Unless you've got a crazy shopping compulsion where you buy everything you see, and your closet is filled with clothes and shoes and stuff you really don't even need? Is that why you're eating leftovers?"

"Wow. You have a very active imagination." He chuckled. "It's nothing like that. I don't see a need to waste food is all there is to that. I have some leftover Thai food in the fridge that's gonna go bad if I don't eat it soon. What are your plans for dinner?"

"I eat a big late lunch at work every day, so I rarely eat dinner." she explained.

I eyed her little body and said, "you look like you eat like a bird."

She arched an eyebrow at me with a challenging face. "I'll have you know that I can put away a twelve ounce steak, loaded baked potato, a salad, and side of broccoli. And still have room for dessert."

"Prove it." He challenged back. "Have dinner with me."

"On leftover night? I don't think so." she declared.

Fitz chuckled at her attitude towards leftovers. "No. I mean let's go out for dinner."

He was inviting her out to dinner. Olivia wondered if he thought of it as a date or a just dinner between neighbors thing as a way of getting to know each other? "I can't tonight. I'm working later than normal. I'm covering for a friend of mine." She explained.

"That's okay. I have Thai food waiting for me tonight anyways. How about another night? You let me know which day is best for you and we'll go from there, okay?" It sounded simple enough in his mind.

There was something simple in his straightforwardness that made Olivia trust him. Maybe it was the easy way they seemed to get along? Maybe it was the way he listened to what she said? Maybe it was nothing more than those ocean blue eyes and sandy curls? Before she could talk herself out of it, she found herself saying, "Okay. I'll bang on the wall a number that matches the date I'm free."

She was teasing him. And he discovered that he liked it. He grinned at her. "Let's skip the loud noises. I've just gotten used to the quiet. How did he take it, by the way?"

"How did who take what?" She asked confused.

"The guy you broke up with last week?" he reminded her.

"Oh. Him. I didn't break up with him. I just made him get his shit out of my apartment and told him we'd need to go to his place for...conjugal visits from now on. I can be a respectful neighbor when I want to be."

She hadn't broken up with the asshole? He wondered how that was possible? He was terrible and had no patience. Fitz was confused. "Oh."

"We've been together for a couple of years now. He's like a bad habit I can't seem to break." She shrugged. "I gotta go. Taxis here. Have a good day."

"You too" He mumbled and watched her scoot into the backseat. She really hadn't dumped that guy? Fitz was surprised to realize that he was a little upset about it. But she was a grown woman and could take care of herself. It was nice to see her again. Dinner as friends could be good too?

The work day went pretty fast, which surprised him. Mondays always dragged and felt like a month instead of eight hours. He was ready to eat, shower, and watch some television before going to bed for the night. The Thai food he had been looking forward to, until this morning, had no flavor and he ended up throwing most of it away instead of eating it.

His shower was a peaceful hot one, until the water went straight to ice cold and he hurriedly rinsed off his hair and body and jumped out. Fitz had called the super and he said he'd call a repair man tomorrow. He had just turned on the tv when Fitz heard a thud on his wall. And then another one. At first, he had no idea what was going on, but then he recalled the conversation he had with Olivia as they waited for a taxi earlier that morning. He had thought she was messing with him about banging on the wall. She was trying to tell him the date she would be free for dinner.

He had no idea how many times she had banged on the wall so far.

Fitz listened for a few minutes, and then gave up trying to figure it out. He went out in the hall and stood in front of her door and knocked. She answered fairly quickly. She smiled when she saw that it was him on the other side of her door. "Can I help you?"

He smiled when he noticed that she had changed into pajamas. She had on a pink cami and a little pair of matching shorts. Fitz took a quick peek before making eye contact once again. "I'm here to lodge a noise complaint."

"Again? You chose to live in New York. It's not called the land of noise for no reason."

"It's actually called the Empire State, for your information." he replied sarcastically.

She gave him a look that told him she was about to explain some stuff. "Do you know what the word empire means?"

"I have a feeling you're gonna tell me." Fitz said with confidence and a smirk.

"An empire is an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority."

He stared back at her. "So. That meaning says nothing about noise."

"Doesn't it?" she asked. "What about the phrase an extensive group of states doesn't scream noise to you? That's just fancy talk for a lot of people in the same place."

He began to laugh at her logic. After a minute she had joined in with him. "I guess you're right. Anyways, the reason I came over here was I heard banging on the wall and had no idea what the hell was going on. And by the time I realized it was your cave woman way of communicating with me, I had lost count. So, I have no idea which date you chose to go to dinner with me."

"You are pretty hopeless, aren't you?" she asked with a playful grin.

"I am." He agreed. When she didn't enlighten him as to the date she had in mind he asked. "So, how many thumps to the wall was that anyways?"

"Nineteen."

His eyebrows went up. "You banged on the wall nineteen times? You could have just come over and told me in person?" He tried to peer over her shoulder, but even with his height advantage, he couldn't see much. "I'll bet you have a hole in the wall now, don't you?"

She laughed at him. "I don't. But in hindsight, maybe coming over would have made more sense?"

He noticed that she was rubbing her knuckles as she spoke. He reached down and grasped her hand, bringing it up for closer inspection. "You banged up your knuckles pretty good. I don't think anything is broken or bruised, but I do think we should get some ice on these, Rocky." He stepped into her apartment, pulling her behind him as he looked for the refrigerator.

"Sure. Just come on in." She replied dryly as she followed quickly behind him.

Still holding her hand, Fitz reached the fridge and opened the freezer. He pulled out an ice tray and set it on the counter and then began rifling through the drawers and cabinets looking for a baggie or a kitchen rag to put the ice inside of. He found a box of zip lock baggies in a drawer. He pulled one out, threw some ice in it, zipped it back up, and set the bag of ice on top of her slightly red knuckles.

She flinched when the cold touched her skin, but it did ease some of the sting. "It was really stupid to pound on the wall like that. I'm sorry I had to bring out your inner nurse Nancy for a few red knuckles." She pulled the baggie off of her hand, but he shot her a look that put her back up for a moment, before relenting and putting the clear bag back on top of her hand.

"It's no big deal. Just a little ice. But for the record, it's not nurse Nancy. It's doctor daring." He grinned at her.

"Doctor daring? Really? What did you do that was so daring?" she asked.

"Didn't you see me? I barged right into your apartment like I owned the place. And for what? To give you the kind of professional medical care that you needed. Doctor daring at your service." He bowed.

"No. You get zero credit from me for coming into my apartment without an invitation claiming to give me medical care. Unless you are a real doctor who works at a real hospital, then you are going to be called doctor dipshit." she said matter of factly.

He looked into her beautiful chocolate eyes with a superior grin on his face. Leaving the baggie on her hand, he said, "I'll be right back. And don't take that bag off either. I mean it, Livvie!"

"Livvie? Did you just call me Livvie?" She wasn't sure she liked the sound of it coming out of his mouth.

"Be right back." he said grinning as he dashed for the door. He came back a few minutes later, carrying his wallet. He opened it up and pulled out a plastic ID card and handed it to her. "You were saying?" He asked sarcastically.

Olivia eyed the card. Fitzgerald Grant the third was a resident in the state of New York and he worked at a nearby hospital. He was legit. Even his photo was a good one. "Well, I'll be damned." she muttered. "Doctor daring it is." She handed it back to him. "It's good to know I have a doctor nearby just in case I need one."

"A good start would be to stop banging on walls." He declared. "This honestly isn't a pick-up line. Believe me when I say that I have much better ones than this, but if you want my number I'll be glad to give it to you."

She watched his face for a smirk or some other signal that he was teasing her. Or trying to pick her up. Nothing out of the ordinary, from the little she knew of him, could be seen on his face though. Going with her gut, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he wasn't asking for her number in return. In fact, he wouldn't get her number at all unless she had a legit reason to call him. She might want his number later on for reasons other than medical ones. "I don't know why, but I trust you. Something about your face."

"Well, it's a handsome one to start off with." He replied.

"Oh jeez. Is that one of your better pick-up lines? Because if it is, it needs work. Give me your number please." He called off a series of numbers and Olivia programmed them into her phone. She decided to make his contact name doctor daring.

"It's not." he chuckled. "How's the hand?"

"Cold. But it's feeling a lot better now actually. So, thank you."

"You're welcome. You'll probably sleep better tonight if you take a couple Ibuprofen or Tylenol. Whichever you happen to have already. Don't leave the ice on it for more than ten minutes at a time. It's not good for your skin."

"Okay. I got all that. Thank you again, Fitz."

"Oh. You're pushing me out now. I see." He began making his way towards the door. When he got there, he put his hands on top of the door frame and leaned towards her some with a smoldering look. "Call me if you need anything, and I do mean...anything."

Olivia's mouth dropped open, and her eyes involuntarily dragged slowly down his body and back up again.

"That was a pick up line." He said before letting go of the door frame and heading towards his own apartment.

"It needs work." she sarcastically told his retreating back.

"You loved it and you know it." He never turned around but loudly added, "Nite, Livvie."

Olivia peered from around her door and watched him walk into his apartment. When he was safely inside, she went into her own apartment, closed the door, and locked it. She leaned back against it as a smile made its way across her face. There was something about that man.

 **Thank you all for the amazing support for this story! I'm really glad you like it, and thankful that you took the time to let me know xoxo**


	3. Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee

**Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee**

His ass was dragging. He'd been at work for almost twelve hours and a call had come in alerting the hospital that a multi car pile up on the interstate had badly wounded victims being brought in. Fitz was dragging, but the exhaustion immediately fell away, and he snapped to attention, as he helped other residents and nurses get rooms and equipment ready for their incoming patients.

"Two minute warning!" one of the nurses shouted from her station after hanging up the phone.

The emergency room became a blurry hub of activity once the accident victims began arriving. He helped adults and children alike in various stages of pain and fear. An eight year old boy had a broken arm and was crying non stop for his mother. Someone was on the way to tell him that his mother had died on the way to the hospital. A sixteen year old girl, who had been driving a car her parents had just bought her escaped the accident with only minor cuts and scrapes. A sixty eight year old man who had been in a car somewhere in the middle of the pile up hit his head on the driver's side window and had to have the embedded glass removed. There was a dozen or so others who had been hurt or had broken bones.

When the last of them had been helped, Fitz wearily walked the chart in his hands to the nurse's station and said goodnight. He was yawning as he stepped into the darkness outside. The cool spring air felt good on his skin and he took a minute to just breathe it in. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed, shut the world out, and sleep for a very long time.

He had to keep from falling asleep in the cab ride home. The combination of the darkness outside and the motion of the moving car was enough to keep Fitz snapping his head up and blinking his eyes repeatedly from dozing off. He momentarily thought about asking the driver to stop somewhere for him to pick up a drive through dinner but couldn't imagine having the energy to eat. He paid the driver and crawled out of the backseat in front of his building.

Fitz trudged to the elevator and pressed his floor, still yawning loudly and not bothering to muffle it in any way. He stepped out and turned towards his door. He was several feet away from it when he noticed something sitting in front of the door. What the hell is that, he wondered to himself?

He inserted his key into the lock and knelt down in front of his door. There was a silver dome covered tray sitting on the floor. Fitz looked around, but naturally, no one was out in the hall. Whatever was underneath the dome smelled heavenly. Telling himself it was put there on purpose and for a reason, he gently lifted the lid. A stack of six blueberry pancakes sat on a plate. Fitz knew immediately who they were from, but he didn't understand why.

And then he saw the note tucked halfway under the plate. He picked it up and read it:  
 _Doctor daring wasn't around for me to annoy today. If you were at work, those were some long ass hours. You need to eat these pancakes & go to bed. STAT! If you were with a woman, I hope they give you indigestion._  
 _Livvie_

His grin was a big happy one. He glanced at her door but didn't expect to see anyone due to the crazy hour. He picked up the plate and opened his door, locking it behind him, and carried the food to the table. He grabbed some maple syrup from his cabinet and orange juice from the fridge, then plopped down in a chair and poured it generously on the sweet smelling stack.

He cut a good sized chunk of the light circles and stuffed it into his mouth. As he chewed he re-read her note. There were several things in the note that made his grin return in full force. She remembered his self given nickname. She obviously missed him today and noticed how long he had been gone. She had a slightly jealous streak, even though the two of them weren't even dating. And most importantly, she signed it with the nickname he had given her. All things to think about another day.

He cleaned his plate and realized that she was a good cook. With pancakes at least. He set the dishes into the sink and burped as he turned to make his way to his bathroom. He began stripping on the way and once he was completely naked, he turned the shower on hot and prayed the super had gotten it fixed. He brushed his teeth as he waited for the water to heat up. As he was rinsing he saw steam billowing up over the top of the shower and quickly jumped in.

He washed away all traces of the long night at the hospital and pulled on a clean pair of boxer briefs. Feeling much cleaner, but still exhausted, he went to his bed and flopped down on it, falling asleep within seconds.

He was awakened a few hours later by his ringing cell phone. He groaned as he floated to the surface of consciousness. Groggily, he picked up the device and answered it. "Hullo?"

Whoever was talking to him seemed so far away and mentioned something about pancakes. Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, he recalled eating some, but at the moment it was super foggy. "Thank you. Not awake now. Talk later. I love you." He ended the call and dropped back off to sleep. In a weird kind of dream, Fitz heard four thuds on a wall.

The next morning, he woke up to his alarm clock singing the song of her people. He slammed his hand down on it to shut the noise up, knowing full well the next alarm would go off ten minutes from now. Something about the thump on the alarm clock had him suddenly opening his eyes. He listened for any kind of sound but heard none. He yawned and assumed it was a dream he had had last night.

Fitz reached over and turned off the two remaining alarms, sat on the edge of his bed, and took inventory of how he was feeling. He had slept like a rock and his head was much clearer than it had been when he laid down. He wasn't remotely hungry and wondered why that was? And then he remembered that his sweet and sexy neighbor had made him pancakes and left them on a silver tray in front of his door.

He smiled as he stood up and went to his dresser in search of a pair of shorts. After pulling them on he went into the kitchen, made coffee, and washed the dishes Olivia had delivered the food on. Taking them back to her now would be the perfect excuse to see her again as well as thank her for her thoughtfulness. He was feeling pretty clever.

As her dishes lay air drying in the strainer, he poured himself a cup of coffee, flipped on the tv, and looked out the window. It was another beautiful day outside. The weatherman promised temperatures in the seventies today. Fitz stared at the man on the screen. Lying asshole. If it hit sixty three today he'd be impressed.

He watched as the news channel did a story on last night's pile up on the interstate and released the names of the two people who had died. Fitz knew the hospital must have gotten in touch with the families of both people. He was glad he wasn't the one who had to deliver that news last night. It would have made a tough night even worse.

Coffee gone, he washed his cup and grabbed a hand towel and began drying Olivia's things. He had to leave in an hour to head back to the hospital and wanted to see her before he left. He had everything ready to go but when he got to his door he realized he was bare chested and footed. Shrugging, he walked out his door and knocked briskly on hers.

Fitz heard her grumble, "who the fuck is at my door at this hour?" before she yanked it open. She obviously had been asleep and wasn't too happy to have company this early in the morning. While she pinched the bridge of her nose with her eyes shut tight, Fitz let his eyes wander over her from head to toe.

Her hair was going in every direction, but it was a cute morning look he decided. She was wearing a pink t-shirt that barely covered her ass and a pink robe that was hanging off her shoulders. From the looks of things, she liked to sleep without a bra, and at the moment, that was just fine with Fitz. The thought made him wonder if she had on any panties though. Her legs were bare as were her feet, except for some pink toenail polish. She was completely feminine and extremely ravishing.

He flicked his eyes up to hers just as she opened them. "I'm sorry to come by so early. I thought you would be up getting ready for work already?"

"Off today." she muttered. "Sorry for yelling at you."

"It's okay. I wanted to come by before I left for work and tell you thank you for the pancakes and sweet note. That was really nice and unexpected."

He held her stuff out for her to take. Instead, she said, "you're welcome. bring it inside, will ya?" before turning around and shuffling into her apartment. He followed her into the kitchen where she pointed to an empty counter. He set her things down and watched her walk towards the coffee pot and begin making some coffee.

"Look, I didn't mean to wake you up. I just wanted to say thank you. I know how important sleep is, so please, don't feel like you have to stay up on my account."

"Do you remember me calling you last night?" she asked as she poured water into the coffee pot.

"I...what?" he asked, utterly confused.

"I called you last night. I was awake when you got in, but I knew you had to be completely worn out from work or screwing someone, so I left you alone. Curiosity got the better of me later on and I called you. So, which was it? Work or woman?" she asked as the brown liquid began to fall into the glass pot.

"Work. You called me? I don't remember that? I don't remember getting a call from anyone at all." He was sure that he hadn't gotten one. And definitely hadn't spoken to anyone either.

"You don't remember telling me that you love me?" She chuckled at his horrified face. "It's not that terrible of an idea, is it?"

"Sorry! No, of course not!" he stammered. "I honestly don't remember talking to anyone. I would have remembered if you had called me."

"Oh yea? Why's that?" She was putting him on the spot and enjoying the hell out of it. The fact was he had said I love you to her and she hadn't been able to get the words out of her mind. It was why she banged on the wall four times signaling I love you too. It was childish and done in fun, but if he didn't remember talking to her, he definitely didn't remember her banging on the wall.

Shit! Think of something that doesn't sound creepy, he told himself! "Beeee-cause we are friends, and I don't have a lot of friends here."

She frowned at him. "Really? That's kinda sad." She reached into the cabinet and grabbed two coffee mugs.

Fitz breathed a quiet sigh of relief that she had accepted his reason.

Olivia filled both cups, glancing over at him as she did so. The second cup overfilled and began running on the counter. Fitz had his eyes on the spill and glanced up at her face as she continued to pour coffee. She was looking at him and not paying attention to what she was doing. It was cute as hell to witness. "Ummm, you're making a mess." he informed her.

Olivia looked down to what she was doing and set the pot down. Fitz got up and grabbed a roll of paper towels from the counter. He came back to the mess and his body collided with hers. He watched her begin to topple and put his arms around her in attempt to keep her upright. The coffee that had spilled on the floor brought them both down when their feet slipped on it. Olivia landed on his chest with a thud.

Her cheek was resting on his firm hair covered chest. She lay there for a minute and realized that his arms were still around her. Realized also that he had something impressive between his legs. She tried to remember that they were friends and nothing more, but the devilish thoughts kept invading her mind.

Fitz was well aware that he was holding onto Olivia. He was fine with that. Content even. Her perky breasts were pressed up against his chest with only a thin layer of t-shirt material between their skin. He wanted nothing more than to reach down and see if her bottom half was in fact covered or bare, but he didn't dare to.

Olivia picked up her head and looked down at him. He looked damn near irresistible from this angle. It made her wonder what it would be like to be in this position with him minus the clothing. They had to get up before things got worse. She didn't want to, but knew they had to. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He lifted his head and looked up at her. Thoughts of her riding him wildly were at the forefront of his brain now. He felt a familiar stirring in his crotch and knew things were about to become uncomfortable and embarrassing. He smiled at her and rolled them over, so that she was underneath him. He got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up, which she took. "Well, that was a fun way to start the day." he chuckled. "You okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Slightly embarrassed but I'll get over that. I'm not hurt though." The two of them started cleaning up the mess together before Olivia stopped and boldly asked, "why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Fitz glanced down at his chest. "I was too lazy to put one on before I came over."

"This mess is entirely your fault." she stated as she resumed wiping up coffee from the floor.

"My fault? How in the hell do you figure that?"

"You want me to be honest?" she asked with a hand on her hip.

"Well, I don't want you to lie to me."

"It's your fault because I was staring at your chest. You're really fit."

He smiled because he already knew that. Hearing her say it did things for his ego. Time for her to get some truth too, he decided. "You shouldn't answer the door in New York without a bra on. It's distracting."

"Is it?" she asked absentmindedly. Olivia was grinning at his directness. She appreciated that about him. "You shouldn't tell me that you love me in the middle of the night."

Fitz stopped cleaning and looked over at her. Maybe it was time for a little pressure to be added? He leaned close to her, brushing her body with his as his eyes looked into hers. "If I ever wake up in the middle of the night and you are lying beside me, I'll tell you all kinds of interesting things." He stepped away from her. "But we were on the phone and the conversation is something I haven't quite proven true as of yet. But I don't think you're a liar, so if you say it happened then I believe you. I hate to leave you with this mess of my making, but I have to finish getting ready for work. Not all of us get to stay home today and think about this conversation for hours on end. Maybe next time we'll get around to actually drink the coffee. Don't worry, I'll wear a shirt when I come back so that you aren't distracted. Have a good day, Livvie." He gave her a lopsided smile before turning around and leaving.

She watched him walk out her door as her breath came out in a whoosh. Damn him for being so open and honest instead of embarrassed and clamming up. She was going to have to be more careful around him.


	4. Dinner

**Dinner**

Fitz glanced at the face of his phone when it began to ring. It was an unknown number and he took a few seconds debating whether or not to answer it. It was one thirty in the afternoon and he was at home, enjoying his day off. He hoped it wasn't a work emergency because he had plans later on. Plans that were of very high importance. Plans that he had zero interest in rescheduling. Plans with Livvie.

He had enjoyed sleeping in as late as he wanted to in his own bed, not the small uncomfortable cot at the hospital. He had made himself some breakfast at a leisurely pace while the radio played, instead of the normal rush to get out the door. He had eaten breakfast in his underwear, and eventually had gotten around to cleaning his apartment. He had even gathered his laundry together and went downstairs to wash it. He had been waiting for the washing cycle to finish so he could throw his clothes into the dryer when his phone began to ring.

If this was work calling him in, Fitz was going to be pissed off. It was the nineteenth and he had requested the day off when Olivia had chosen the date for the two of them to have dinner together. He sighed heavily and slid his finger across the screen to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Fitz? Hey! It's Olivia." she chirped.

A smile immediately covered his face and the worry disappeared. "Well, hello. Long time no talk. How's the family?"

She chuckled into the receiver. "Where are you?"

"Are we playing hide and go seek?"

"That could be fun" she said with a grin. "I've already been to your apartment, so I know you're not there."

"Why don't you come look for me? I'm in the building." he said mysteriously.

"Do you have another apartment where you keep all those clothes and shoes that you compulsively buy?" she giggled.

"I'll never tell you. You seem like the type who would steal my shit and sell it online just to buy yourself some new clothes."

"When have you ever seen me look like I need new clothes?" She asked.

"That's a fair point. Maybe a bra to answer the door in?" He grinned and waited for her reply.

Olivia laughed loudly at his inappropriate but honest humor. "I'll give you that one. But, I don't remember hearing you complain about it when I answered the door that way?" She had him on that point and they both knew it.

He had no sarcastic comeback for that bit of truth. Instead or arguing the point, he cleared his throat. "So, are you gonna come find me or what?"

"Nah. I've got things to do. I'm working tonight from four to ten. It'll probably be busy, so I'm gonna stay off my feet until..."

"Wait! What? We had plans tonight! Dinner plans?" he demanded. She waited long enough to tell him that she had to go to work. That fucked up everything he had been looking forward to all day! It seemed like he never caught a break when it came to her. Dammit! Why in the hell had he even tried? It was as pointless as...

She interrupted his internal rant. "I'm just kidding. I'm off today. Same as you. I didn't know you felt so strongly about the two of us going to dinner though? That's interesting news."

He was dumbfounded. She was messing with him again? He had been at the starting point of freaking the fuck out when she politely chimed in that she was just kidding. And she called him out on having strong feelings about them going to dinner. This day just couldn't get any more humiliating for him. It was a good thing he had sarcasm to fall back on. "I called ahead. McDonalds is going to put a white paper table cloth down for us when we get there. I wanted it to be special for you."

"Wow. That is so thoughtful of you, Fitz. Did I mention that my first boyfriend in high school worked at McDonalds? Surely, he's a manager by now? Maybe we can poke our head in the back and say hey?"

"I wouldn't want you to feel awkward or uncomfortable by having to speak to an ex boyfriend. Burger King it is. I'm going to have to end this call with you now though and try to sweet talk the manager into a reservation at this late hour. You tell me the most important information at the last minute. You really need to work on that."

"Listen, smartass. I don't care where we end up going for dinner. You're the one who insisted on going out. It's dinner. A meal. No big deal."

"As long as it's not leftover Thai food. Is that it?" he asked.

"That is disgusting to even think about. You have distracted me as to what I really called you about in the first place."

"And what was that?"

"What am I supposed to wear tonight?"

"Clothes. A bra is optional. I'll try really hard not to complain if you decide not to wear one." He was grinning at his own quick wit.

"Fitz?" she said impatiently.

"A dress would be nice. And heels. You always look nice in high heels. You always look nice in anything though." he admitted.

She sucked in a breath loudly. "Was that a compliment?"

"It was indeed. And don't think that I'm going to ask you to dress up while I show up in jeans and a wife beater. I'm going to dress up too."

"I get to see doctor daring in dress clothes? Is that even allowed? Am I even worthy?"

"You're definitely not worthy, but I'll make an exception this one time." He said dryly. "In all seriousness, we're going somewhere nice. Somewhere quiet and nice. You don't have to wear a cocktail dress or anything like that but being a little dressed up would be a nice thing for me to look at during dinner."

Olivia smiled. She could get a little dressed up, so the man had something to look at. "I can do that. What's your favorite color, Fitz?"

"Nude." He chuckled.

"You really know how to ruin a moment. What time are you coming to get me at my door?"

He glanced at his watch. They still had hours until dinner. "Let's say six."

"Because it's the word closest to sex?" she asked, catching on to his brand of humor.

"Is that an invitation?" He asked grinning.

"It isn't. I've got to go pick an outfit to keep your attention during dinner. I'll see you at six. The dryer is broken down there, by the way." She ended the call leaving Fitz to wonder how she knew where he was? He glanced over at the lone dryer. The fucking thing was broken? Great! That meant he would have to take his heavy wet clothes a few blocks away to dry them at the public laundry mat, and then carry them back home. He hoped Olivia wore something revealing to make up for the way this afternoon was shaping up?

He knocked on her door at precisely six. He heard her heels clicking on the floor as Olivia made her way to answer the door. He was expecting to see her in one of her beloved dresses or skirts she always seemed to be wearing. When Olivia opened the door, however, he was met with the sexiest sight he had ever laid eyes on.

Olivia was wearing a little navy blue dress that showed off her tight little body. The tempting form fitting creation she had on was a deep V neck and sleeveless but had thin straps that hung from her shoulders. The front of the dress hugged her body, showing off every delicious looking curve. The bottom of the dress hung a few inches below her ass and showed off her beautifully toned legs.

She stood in the doorway watching him looking at every inch of her. After a moment, she slowly spun around in a little circle and that's when he noticed that there wasn't a back to her dress. The skinny little straps over her shoulders tied behind her back. She was a mouth watering sight and his hands were itchy to touch her.

She stood facing him once again, but his eyes hadn't made it to her face just yet. They were trying to memorize every detail of this dress and how she looked in it. Olivia cleared her throat and Fitz looked up at her. "You might not have noticed, but I went with nude heels tonight. In honor of your favorite color."

He grinned at her. "An excellent choice. You look absolutely gorgeous, Livvie." As he held out his arm for her, Fitz worried about remembering how to eat.

She looped her arm through his after she locked her door and said, "thank you, kind sir. You look pretty damn hot yourself."

"This old thing?" Fitz asked with a grin.

"Those dress pants are an exceptional fit. Really show off your assets. I like the button up shirt too. Very dapper." She took her arm out of his for a moment and reached for his neck. "You need to loosen up a little though. Undo another button or two. Work what you've got."

"Like you're doing with that dress?" he asked. "That thing should be against the law."

"Exactly." She put her arm through his once more and asked, "Shall we?"

He knew it would happen. He already had the whole thing figured out the second Olivia opened the door of her apartment. The moment they walked into the restaurant, every man gave her his undivided attention. Heads snapped to their direction. Eyes almost fell out of heads as the beautiful woman he was with was checked out, and then checked out again.

Maybe it should have made him feel proud? To be out in public with a woman so beautiful that heads turned to admire her beauty. Instead, it made Fitz feel protective of her. They were friends, after all, and as Olivia's friend, it was his job to keep her safe when she was with him. He still wanted to punch every guy in the place with his neck craned to get a better look at her.

They were shown to their table and told that their waiter would be right with them. Both of them glanced around the dimly lit room. This was obviously a restaurant for couples. Oddly enough, neither one of them seemed uncomfortable with that. "This place is beautiful. Very fancy." She told him.

"Burger King couldn't accommodate us, so I had to pick something else at the last minute." he teased.

"I guess it'll have to do." she teased back.

"Hello. My name is Mark and I'll be your waiter this evening." His eyes were glued to Olivia, but Fitz had to give him credit. Mark tore his eyes away from her long enough to glance his way. "What would you both like to drink?"

"I'll have red wine, please." Olivia said.

"I'll have scotch. Neat please."

"Very good. I'll be back with those and then get your orders."

We looked over the menus silently until Mark vaporized once again and put our drinks in front of us. They told him what they wanted for dinner and watched him walk away. Maybe he'd stay gone longer than five minutes this time? "What made you choose this place?" she asked. "All kidding aside."

He wondered if she really wanted the truth or just thought she did? He shrugged. "All kidding aside? I wanted to take you to dinner to someplace really nice. I thought it would be a good way for us to see a different side of each other. A side other than two neighbors who catch each other in the halls sometimes or speak only in passing. Also, I really wanted to see you all dressed up." He gestured to her and added, "but I was NOT ready for that!"

She grinned at him over her long stemmed glass. "I was trying to wow you, I suppose. You've seen me in my pajamas, my work clothes, and my laying around the house stuff. I figured you'd already seen me braless, might as well make it a little more interesting."

"It's the most interesting thing I've ever seen. Ask any man in here." He smiled and took a sip of his drink.

Olivia leaned over the table towards him. "The thing is, I only care about what one man here..."

"Are the two of you doing alright over here?" Mark asked.

Olivia glared up at him and then plastered on a fake smile. "Mark, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am." He replied with a smile.

"Let's get something straight right now please. We're gonna get great service and you're gonna get a great tip."

Mark's smile grew wider.

"But I am on a first date right now, and you coming by here every two minutes to ask how we're doing is gonna be counterproductive to me getting to know this handsome upstanding doctor."

We're on a date? Fitz thought to himself, feeling surprised by that tidbit of information that Olivia shared late as usual.

Mark's smile gradually fell until it was non existent. He looked to Fitz for help, but he couldn't offer the poor kid any. He was beyond help at this point in the conversation.

"Remember, great tip. And I'm not trying to be a bitch to you in any way. Please understand that, Mark."

"Yes ma'am." he mumbled.

"But if you could just go check on all of your other tables and leave us alone until our food is ready – that would be fantastic. If we need you, we'll let you know discreetly. And don't worry...We'll take the survey on the way home. You know, the one that's at the bottom of the receipt. We'll brag all about how amazing you were. How the service was phenomenal and how Mark rocks and all that shit. But for right now, you gotta get the hell away from this table. Got it?"

Fitz chugged his drink to avoid laughing out loud at poor Mark. He had just been put in his place by a customer who looked like a goddess. He walked away without so much as looking at either one of them. Once he was gone, Fitz released the chuckle that threatened to strangle him. Olivia grinned and eventually joined in the laughter. "I'm sorry, but he was beginning to get on my last good nerve."

"Mine too." he agreed. "I just didn't know what to do about it."

"That's what I'm here for." She said grinning.

"You're smart as hell, easily the most beautiful woman I've ever met, you speak your mind, look fantastic without a bra on, have a job, and you're easy to talk to. You're perfect. Marry me." Fitz said with a grin.


	5. Called In

**Called In**

Sleep was a precious commodity when you're a resident. After a few weeks of blissfully peaceful sleep every night, he shouldn't have been surprised that the screaming was back. Unfortunately, it was the porno kind. He pulled his pillow over his head in the middle of the night, trying to drown out the noises that came from next door. It was a useless attempt and Fitz could feel himself getting angrier as time droned on.

Part of the anger was that Fitz thought he and Olivia had a real connection at dinner the other night. Yet, here she was, being annoyingly loud and having great sex apparently. Another part of the anger was because he hadn't gotten laid in so long he couldn't even remember when the last time was. Life as a resident was a busy one, full of patients, extremely long hours, constantly running around, schedule changes, trying to please everyone all the time and feeling like shit when you fall short of those goals.

He sighed loudly. Part of him wished he had someone in his life. Someone to date and have his own loud energetic sex with. Fitz had no idea how to even go about that or how he would fit that into his already packed daily schedule? Ideas swirled in his head. Maybe he could find out if some of the other residents went out together somewhere? Dating someone in the medical field would provide a person who understood the demands of his job without the guilt of not being available all the time or missing dates due to a work emergency. It was certainly something to think about. But then the other person's schedule would interrupt things between them too. It was a no win situation.

He recalled how he had proposed to Olivia the other night at dinner. Everything he had said about her was absolute truth. She was beautiful, intelligent, bold, and possessed many other qualities that he admired and looked for in a woman to date. But the two of them had enjoyed a good laugh after his spur of the minute fake proposal.

The clock read two twenty-seven. Apparently, Olivia hadn't thought too much about the fake proposal either because they were having a hot and heavy marathon over at her apartment. Fitz wondered when Olivia had decided to let the asshole back over at her place for this kind of activity when she specifically told Fitz they would be going to his place on nights such as these? Something must have come up? Obviously, he told himself with an eyeroll.

He shot hateful looks at the wall that separated their apartments.

Since sleep wasn't happening, he decided to make some coffee and read over a medical journal. He couldn't help the brain cells that were being lost at hearing someone scream, "fuck me til I die" but he could strengthen the ones that were trying to cling to some semblance of sanity. He read the first sentence over and over and still didn't grasp what it said.

Ten minutes later, his phone rang. It was one of the nurses at the hospital. One of the residents on call had to go home unexpectedly because he had a nasty stomach bug. As the exuberant screams continued from the apartment next door, Fitz told the nurse he'd be there in a half hour. He couldn't get ready fast enough. Apparently, death next door was nowhere near happening and he didn't want to stick around and have to identify Olivia's body. That wasn't the way he had imagined seeing her naked for the first time.

He didn't care that the hour was a strange one. Fitz knew his night float rotation was coming up in just a few days. He figured he was getting a head start on preparing his body for the unusual work hours that were coming quicker than he'd like to think about. But at this point, anything, even work, was better than being forced to listen to Olivia and the asshole have very loud sex. He threw on his scrubs, and after filling his go cup, walked out the door as quickly as he could.

Night float was that dreaded shift that ran from five p.m. and didn't end until seven a.m. It wasn't just the odd hours that made every single resident despise it, it was also the feelings of unpreparedness, inadequacy, and a general all around sense of helplessness that sometimes came with the patients with unidentified ailments.

Night float doctors are in charge of admitting new patients that come in during the shift as well as taking care of patients that aren't theirs - usually with brief instructions from their primary doctor before they walk out the hospital door and head for food and sleep themselves. That wouldn't be that big of a deal, but when you add in exhaustion from a high paced evening of running around between emergent patients, or boredom from nothing at all happening, or not getting all of the information like you should before said doctor leaves, things tend to get interesting really fast.

Fitz had been briefed about the patients under his care and was on his way to check on one of them, glancing down at an iPad to familiarize himself with the chart, when something bumped into him. Someone rather. He glanced up and saw a disoriented young woman pick herself and then her cell phone up off the floor. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"I wasn't either, honestly. Did you hurt yourself?" She looked exhausted and slightly embarrassed. The combination of both attributes brought a smile to his face at this early morning hour.

"I'm okay. How about you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. A little more awake now, so I guess I have you to thank for that?" He chuckled. Fitz picked up the iPad and checked it over. It seemed fine too.

"Shit! Is it broken? I broke it didn't I? That things gonna cost an arm and a leg." she lamented.

He smiled at her. "No, it's not broken. It doesn't have so much as a scratch on it. See?" He held it up for her to inspect.

"Thank God! It would have broken my heart to know I had to pay for one of those." She glanced at her phone and sighed with relief. "That's weird. My phone didn't shatter either. It always shatters. I've dropped it twice and both times it splintered in a hundred million pieces." She smiled at me. "You must be a good luck charm?"

He smiled back at her. She was cute. She appeared to be in her late twenties, early thirties. She had straight brown hair and pretty blue eyes. "Happy to be of service." She started looking around and Fitz got the feeling she might be lost. "Do you know where you're headed?"

Her eyes landed on his once more. "Not really. I'm trying to find the cafeteria to get a decent cup of coffee at this hour."

He made a face. "That's not the best place to get good coffee. Buuuuut it's the only place still open. Come on, I'll walk you down there."

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you're very busy. Were busy. Until I bumped into you." she sputtered.

"It's okay." He began. "I could use a cup myself before I check on my next patient. It's no trouble at all. I mean, if it's alright with you if I tag along?"

"That would be great. Thank you." They walked a little ways and she asked, "how long have you worked here?"

"Almost two years now." he replied, hardly believing it himself.

"That's a long time. What do you do when you're not playing doctor at the hospital?" She smiled at him, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear with a slight smile as he held the door open to the cafeteria for her.

He smiled back. This flirting thing wasn't as hard as he remembered. "That pretty much takes up all my time and I'm very good at it."

They were the only ones in there, and they poured a black tar looking substance into styrofoam cups. "What made you want to be a doctor?"

It was a question he got all the time. His answer was mechanical, and true, but not the entire truth. "I like to help people. I thought this was as good a way to do that as any other. Plus, the pay is outstanding."

She chuckled at him and eyed the suspicious looking drink before putting a white plastic lid on top of it. "I think you were right. This coffee looks really old. I'm afraid if I drink it that I'll end up in a hospital bed beside my brother."

"Your brother is in the hospital?" he asked.

"Yea. He ran a red light and hit..."

"A parked bus?"

"How'd you know that?" She asked with wide eyes.

He gestured to his scrubs and sent her a mocking look. "He's high on the topic of conversation tonight in the emergency room. Apparently, he side swiped a police car before hitting the empty bus?"

"This is the last time I expect to hear him say anything negative about female drivers." She rolled her eyes.

Fitz pulled out his wallet and grabbed a couple of bills to hand to the beyond bored cashier.

"No, no, no, no. The least I could do is buy the coffee after knocking you on your ass and hijacking you from your patient." She pulled out her own wallet and opened it.

Fitz gave the ready bills to the cashier, who didn't care which one of them paid, as long as one of them did. "Getting knocked on my ass was needed. I was serious when I said that I feel more awake now. And if this is a hijacking, it's not near as bad as I expected. What's all the fuss about?" He asked with a grin. "Besides, I get points in here which add up to discounts on future cups of coffee."

She took the first seat they came to after walking away from the register. She leaned over and whispered, "why on earth would you want that?"

Fitz had no reply and chuckled at her sound reasoning. "Good point." He held out his right hand. "I'm Fitz, by the way."

"Alexa" she said, extending her right hand and shaking his. "Nice to finally put a name with a handsome face."

"Likewise. So, what do you do when you're not visiting your brother at the emergency room in the middle of the night?" This coffee tasted like shit, but Fitz didn't care. He was having an adult conversation with a female who wasn't in the medical field. He was going to enjoy it as long as he could.

"Oh! I'm a kindergarten teacher. Tomorrow is gonna be hell dealing with a room full of five year olds after a long sleepless night at the hospital. If only I knew of someone who had great coffee perks and delivered?" she grinned at him.

Fitz felt like that was an opening of some kind. He planned to step through it. "Well, I guess that depends on which school you work at. Barbara's coffee probably doesn't travel far very well?"

The look on her face showed that she was debating whether to tell him where she spent her daytime hours Monday through Friday. She must have decided to step out on a limb because she said, "Hunter College Elementary. But if you bring me this sludge, then forget it. No offense to Barbara."

Fitz's beeper went off. He pulled it out and glanced at it. "Gotta go." he murmured as he stood up quickly. "Maybe you'll see me at school tomorrow? If you don't, please don't hold it against me. I work practically around the clock. Nice to meet you though, Alexa. I hope your brother recovers quickly. Annnnnnd, I hope to see you again."

"See you around, Fitz." She said and watched him walk away.

As he hurriedly made his way to where duty called, Fitz smiled. That had been kinda fun. He had met a pretty, intelligent, fun woman at the hospital. And had flirted with her over coffee too. It had been a very good diversion from trying to keep himself awake or running ragged from room to room. The conversation had flowed pretty well too, he thought to himself as his grin grew wider.

While he wondered if Alexa preferred flavored or hot roast coffee, Olivia popped into his brain. She was standing there in her pink t-shirt and robe, minus the bra, with her arms crossed in front of her chest, giving him a judgey look. It was his favorite mental image of her and was burned onto his brain. The sudden image of her caused him to stop walking quite so fast and wonder why her face had materialized into his thoughts at this particular moment? Maybe he wasn't as awake as he thought he was?

A short imaginary conversation with her played itself out in his brain.

"You're gonna be her gofer now? Delivering coffee on the side, are you?" she asked.

He stared at her for a moment and said, "shouldn't you still be getting screwed by the asshole?"

"Don't change the subject. Besides, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Go away, Livvie. You have your..." he gestured wildly with his hands. "whatever the hell he is to you. I'm entitled some happiness too, don't you think? And she's kinda cute. Besides, nothing is going to happen between us while you have your fuck buddy around. It would have been great, just so you know."

"Is that a fact?" She asked skeptically.

"Oh, it's more than a fact. It's an absolute certainty. But you keep spending your time with that worthless asshole and continue to miss out on all of this." He smirked and patted his broad chest with his hands.

"You gotta go." she said, rolling her eyes.

"YOU gotta go!" he said loudly. "I work here."

"Doctor Grant! Get in here!" An impatient nurse anxiously pulled him into a small exam room.

The last thing Fitz saw was Olivia waving to him as she said, "Like I said, you gotta go. We'll talk soon."


	6. Things Would Happen

Things Would Happen

Night float was gonna be the death of him. Fitz was struggling to keep himself awake in the early morning hours. That home stretch – the last two hours of his shift – seems so far in the distance yet so close he can almost touch it at the same time. Those hours drag painfully slow and are usually very uneventful at the hospital. Sometimes a patient will have a serious issue arise, but for the most part, those two hours are the ones he loathes the most about working night float.

The part he enjoys about night float is that he leaves his apartment around four thirty in the afternoon and get home around eight in the morning. The hours that the wild animalistic sex noises were the most prevalent are the same ones in which Fitz is not at home to hear them. And the hours that he is home, his cute and tiny neighbor is gone to work. He is usually passed out anyways, so he wouldn't hear anything even if it was happening. That part of working the night shift is perfect.

The down side is that he hasn't seen Olivia in over a week. No light and flirty chats. No phone calls or texts. Nothing. And they were supposed to be friends. It wasn't what Fitz wanted, but he had settled it in his mind that that was what they were going to be. He misses talking to his very attractive fun friend.

He has had a few developments in his life since meeting Alexa. He never did get around to delivering coffee to her at work the next morning, but they have gone out. Three times. Once they even made it all the way through the date without a hospital interruption! It was nice to go out dinner and enjoy talking about anything except the hospital and his patients. Nicer still to go to a movie and hold hands with a female and joke about the unrealistic parts.

Dating Alexa was very normal. She was fun and funny. Pretty without being uppity about it. Intelligent and sincere. She could carry on a conversation about a wide variety of topics and her opinion was a well thought out and usually passionate one. She always offered to pay for things but was comfortable enough to know that Fitz had been raised to always do so on dates. She was a good match for him and never complained when he suddenly got called into work for an emergency.

All of those reasons should have been enough for him to hold onto her and see where their relationship would go. But she wasn't Livvie, and Fitz had his heart set on attempting a relationship with her. He couldn't exactly do that while she was dating and or screwing someone else. He might have his heart set on her, but he wasn't going to insert himself in someone else's relationship. He had time and plenty of patience. So, Fitz ended things with a confused Alexa, explaining that he had feelings for someone else, and decided he would wait for Olivia to come to her senses and end things with the asshole.

As it happened, Fitz was walking sluggishly towards his door, anticipating the feeling of crawling into his bed, and between the cool sheets, when Olivia opened her door and stepped out into the hall. "Livvie" he whispered.

Olivia turned to make her way towards the elevator when she saw him. "You look like shit warmed over."

"Gee, thanks. You look great too." And she did. He flicked his eyes up and down her sexy little body. He noticed that she had on a dress. Some floral print and some seriously high heels. The closer he got to her, the more he realized that she was a good five inches taller than the last time he had seen her. He looked back down at her feet and scowled. "How in the hell do you walk in those things without falling over? Don't they hurt your feet? They hurt mine just looking at them."

She smiled at him and took a step closer in his direction. "First of all, it takes a lot of practice! Secondly, they absolutely KILL my feet, but I look so good in them that I don't even care. And, I look a lot taller too, which I love."

"You do look good in them." He agreed and eyed her once again.

She leaned her head in his direction and wrinkled her nose. "What is that on your scrub top?"

He hesitantly dragged his eyes away from her legs and to the stain in question. It looked blurry at first. "Oh. That's baby puke."

Olivia snatched her head back away from him quickly. "Gross! Why didn't you change before you left the hospital like you normally do?"

"Because it happened right before I left. And because I didn't have the strength to change a light bulb much less my clothes before I left." He informed her on a yawn.

"The night shift is kicking your ass, isn't it? You should go in and to go to bed."

"Gotta shower first." He said with sleep thick in his voice.

"Ewww, yes you do." She watched him fumble with his keys for a moment and then glanced at her watch. Olivia plucked the keys out of his hand and unlocked his apartment. "Go on inside. I'll turn on the shower for you and make you some cocoa. It'll help you sleep."

"Kay." he replied, yawning again. He wandered like a lost hobo into his small bedroom and pulled open his top dresser drawer. He grabbed the first pair of boxer briefs his hand touched and went into the bathroom. Fitz began brushing his teeth, then thought better of it because of the cocoa, then decided to finish the job since he had already started it.

He was rinsing out his mouth when Olivia stepped into the bathroom and began turning on the water in the shower. Not thinking with a clear mind, Fitz pulled his scrub top up over his head and tossed it in the direction of the small hamper in the corner of the room. He missed, but it was the thought that counted. Sitting down on the toilet, he sluggishly took off his shoes and peeled off his socks. With his eyes closed and his body craving sleep more than air to breathe, he grabbed the elastic waist band of his scrub pants and pulled them down to his ankles.

"Wow. I really like the shapes on your underwear." Olivia said pointing.

"Shit!" He exclaimed. He leaned down and pulled them back up as fast as he could. "I forgot you were still here. Sorry about that."

She smiled mischievously at him. "Don't be. Like I said, I saw some interesting shapes."

He noticed that her eyes were still on his crotch. He moved a hand protectively to his center and said, "my eyes are up here."

Her eyes slowly made their way up his chiseled bare chest. More interesting shapes there too, she thought to herself. "You good to go now? If I stay here any longer things are going to happen. And I've got places to go and you've got to get some sleep."

Fitz stared at her in utter confusion while words escaped his brain.

"I'll leave your cocoa on the counter and let myself out. Make sure you lock the door after you shower, okay? New York is full of crazy people. I'm one of them." she chuckled.

"Wait!" He finally spit out.

"What?" she asked.

"What did you mean?"

"That I'm crazy? I just am. It's required to be female."

"No. Not that. When you said things would happen if you stayed here much longer."

"Oh." She took a moment to appreciate his chest once more and dropped her gaze to the shape that had held her complete attention. In his sleepy state Fitz had dropped his guard hand and Olivia looked her fill before returning her gaze to his. She took a step in his direction "I meant just that. That things would happen between us if I stayed here much longer."

He studied her gorgeous face. She seemed serious. "What kind of things?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "If I have to explain them, then you're more exhausted than we both thought." She bravely put a hand on his chest and drew it slowly down toward his belly button. He had an innie she noticed. Cute. "But to answer your question, all kinds of things. Things that would be fun for both of us. But again, I have places to go and am pressed for time, and you are sleep deprived and wouldn't be at your best anyways."

Fitz gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her hand from going any further south. "I don't like to share. So, stop playing games with me."

She squinted up at him. "I'm not playing games with you, Fitz. Why would you say that?"

"Because you're still having..." he struggled to come up with a word that wouldn't paint her as a loose woman. "...relations with that guy who was at your place the night I met you for the first time."

Olivia snatched her wrist out of his grasp. "I am NOT having relations with that guy. He was a fucking asshole. I'll admit I kept seeing him for a week after that night, but I haven't seen him since then."

"Fine. You're having relations with SOME guy. Same thing."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Sherlock Holmes? Are you really a listener like you claimed not to be that first night you were at my door? I'm not in a relationship with anyone. I haven't been since I broke up with the lying doorknob."

It was time to shut the lies down with facts. "I heard you with someone over there not too long ago going at it like wild rabbits, screaming and yelling all the oh my god, don't stop, and right there commands. There really isn't a reason to lie to me. It's your business who you screw. I'm just not going to get in the way of that. It's not my style."

"No, your style is calling me a liar and acting like it's no big deal!" she yelled. "I'm not screwing anyone. Did it ever occur to you that the people you heard in my apartment were family members of mine from out of town? I'm guessing you listened to a great night of sex about ten days ago. Does that sound right?"

It was right. What the hell was she talking about? It hadn't been her and the asshole? "Seems about right."

She smiled tightly at him. "That was my sister and her husband. They came to visit me recently and stayed at my place. They live in Nebraska and have never been to New York. It sounds to me like they made the most of the time I was gone to work. Now, if your curiosity about my sex life has been cleared up, I'll be going. I hope you burn your fucking mouth on the cocoa too by the way!"

"I should have listened to you at the hospital." he mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" She asked impatiently. "I haven't been to the hospital recently."

"The other night at the hospital. I had a conversation with you. It was the end of my shift and I was running on fumes, practically sleep walking, and you were just...there."

Olivia's eyebrows went up. "You talk to me at work? That's interesting. What did I say?"

"Shut up. You were standing there in your pink t shirt and robe. Hand on your hip. When I asked you about your noisy late night friend, you told me I didn't know what I was talking about."

Olivia turned to stalk her way out the door, but Fitz grabbed her wrist again catching her off guard. He took advantage of the moment and pulled her against his bare chest. He looked down intently into her wide brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Livvie. I didn't mean to make it sound like I was accusing you of something. I wasn't. I'm just not interested in being a third wheel to something you are already involved in. I spend my time thinking about the night we went to dinner together, and wanting more of that with you. I'm tired and punchy and the words are coming out wrong. Please forgive me?"

She didn't know if it was the things he was saying or how he was saying them. He was being sincere with her though, Olivia knew. She had missed seeing him and talking to him. Being held prisoner up against his skin was really nice too. "I think about that night at dinner all the time too. It's fine. You're forgiven. But for the record, I am not in a relationship or screwing anyone at this..."

Fitz dipped his head quickly and covered his mouth with hers. He had heard all he wanted to hear. She was single and definitely interested, and so was he. It was kind of like the stars had aligned just for them to share this moment. He took his time, loving the feel of her plump lips finally touching his. When she tilted her head, opened her mouth, and wrapped her arms around his neck, he groaned, and his tongue slithered into her mouth.

She tasted like the mint from her toothpaste and smelled like lilacs. He had never noticed her perfume before, but now it was an all encompassing scent in the room. His hand found its way to her cheek and his thumb stroked the smooth lightly make up covered skin there. He felt her arms tighten their hold on him and Fitz wanted nothing more than to stay in that moment with her forever.

Instead, he gently pulled his mouth away from hers and watched her face until Olivia slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. The steam from the shower had filled the room, making the moment seem more magical somehow. Either he couldn't resist, or his mouth was having withdrawals from hers already, but Fitz leaned down and kissed her again. He felt her arms tighten again and that was when he abruptly pulled away from her mouth once again and grabbed her hand, leading her to the door of the bathroom.

She had no choice but to follow him. "Fitz? Where are we going?" she asked. They had just gotten to the door when she slapped a hand on the doorframe, making his arm jerk. "Where are we going?" she repeated.

"To my bed." he replied.

"Ten minutes ago, you could barely stand upright on your own. You have remnants of baby vomit on your chest, and you need some sleep. Not to mention that I have places I have to be."

"But..." he began.

"But nothing. Take your shower, drink your cocoa, and go to sleep. I've got errands to run but I'm not going anywhere. When you're done with this crazy schedule, we will revisit the idea of getting into your bed."

"Do you promise?" he asked followed by a yawn he tried to stifle and failed as Olivia chuckled at him. "I'm sorry."

She went to where he stood and smiled up at him. "I promise. I have high expectations from you the first time around. I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to deliver in this condition. Plus, I have..."

"Places to go. I know." He finished with a grin. "Fine. But because you are cancelling you are responsible for making dinner when you do eventually make your way over here. Or me over there." He gestured to the wall separating their spaces.

"You want me to cook?" she asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Shit. You can't cook, can you?" he asked in a deflated voice.

"I can make pancakes." she brightened.

He pecked her lips and excitedly exclaimed, "SOLD!"

"You're too easy." she giggled.

"Wait until I'm naked." he replied as he wound his arms around her waist and yawned again. "I'm sorry, Livvie. It's catching up with me now."

"Give me a kiss and then go take a shower."

"Mmmmmm." He leaned down and captured her lips in a soft sweet kiss. Olivia started to deepen the kiss, but Fitz broke away from her mouth and gave her a look. "Your mouth says one thing but does another entirely. Get the hell out of here before I forget I'm a gentleman." he chuckled.

"Don't forget your cocoa and lock the door when you get out of the shower. Sleep well. I'll talk to you soon." She started walking to the front door, cast one look over her shoulder, and went back to where he stood in his scrub pants and said, "just one more kiss" before eagerly latching onto his mouth again.

"You've gotta go." he murmured against her lips. "Have a good day, Livvie."

"Bye, Fitz."

He watched her walk out the door and then stripped his lower half and went back into the bathroom. Anticipating warmth, he was shocked when he was greeted with freezing water pelting his skin. "FUCKING HELL!" he bellowed. Maybe a cold shower was just what he needed?


	7. Wrap It Up

**Wrap It Up**

He had never been overly anxious about anything before in his life. There were things he looked forward to, sure, but nothing that captivated his attention and every thought twenty four seven like the end of his first night float week. He had been counting the days until the week was over. Some nights it went painfully slow and others flew by at the speed of light.

It was Sunday night – the last night of his rotation on the night shift at the hospital – and Fitz was in a great mood. He just had to get through this last shift, go home and crash for several hours, and then come up with a plan with Olivia for dinner and sex. Not necessarily in that order either.

The nurses noticed his good mood and commented on it to him. His only reply was bringing a box of doughnuts from behind his back and setting it on their desk with a smile. "You really are in a good mood." one of them remarked.

"If this is how you wrap up your week of night float rotation, we're gonna request that you work the graveyard shift every single week." Another giggled before biting into one of the soft frosted circles.

"Oooooh! Doughnuts!" A nurse coming around the corner quickened her steps and snatched one from the box. "Which angel of mercy brought these?"

"I did." Fitz answered.

"Doctor Grant has my vote for favorite resident." she said between bites.

"It's my way of saying thank you for a great week. I would have been lost without you all helping me like you have. I appreciate our nurses."

"You know, the nurses on the third floor will have a stroke when they find out that you brought doughnuts and they didn't get any." One of them replied.

"What they don't know won't hurt them." he replied. "Also, whoever eats the last one has to take the box outside and burn it to ashes. I don't want to be accused of favoritism at the work place even though the four of you are my favorites." He pointed his finger sternly at them. "But I'll deny that I said that in a court of law."

"Good idea. I'll make sure Cheryl get the last one. She can take her smoke break while the box burns."

"Why are you in such a good mood anyways? Not that I'm complaining. Just curious."

"Yea. What gives?" Another asked.

"Do you have a date with that Alexa girl?" When Fitz shot her a shocked look she added, "Whaaaaaat? Nurses talk."

"He broke up with her a while back, Maureen. You are way out of the loop."

One of the older nurses had been quietly watching him since he presented them with the doughnuts. She might not be well versed on all the hospital gossip, but she knew that look. "It might not have anything to do with THAT girl, but it definitely has to do with A girl. You know you want to tell us."

Fitz grinned at the four of them. No one could ever say nurses weren't perceptive. "There might be a girl."

"Tell us everything, handsome." The older nurse said.

Fitz chuckled at her. She reminded him of his mother somehow. Maybe it was the maternal way she acted? He didn't know, but he liked her from the first night he started this rotation. "Her name is Olivia and she's my neighbor."

"This is already all kinds of interesting." One of them said and rested her chin in the palm of her propped up hand.

"It's not as interesting as all that. Yet."

"Did he just say yet all confident like he knows it's gonna get interesting sometime soon?"

"Gurl, yes he did!"

"You all need to hush up and let the man talk about his new girlfriend."

"She is beautiful and intelligent, and she's definitely interested in me. But she's not my girlfriend. It's all very new right now. She's very special to me."

"So, what you're saying is you haven't kissed her yet?" Momma nurse asked with disbelief written across her face.

"I...didn't say that." Fitz replied grinning proudly.

"Boy, I knew you were a mess. Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm." she said, shaking her head. "If this girl is as special as you say, this Olivia, then you'd better be sweet to her and treat her right. Don't be expecting every physical act ever thought up on the first date. You've got to show her that you're invested in a relationship with her and take your time."

Fitz's face fell at her words. He had been eagerly looking forward to the two of them attempting every physical act ever thought up the moment he was caught up on his sleep. Now he was being told not to anticipate that? Maybe he should re-evaluate his thinking? Woo Olivia with romantic gestures and take their time getting to know each other? There was no reason to rush now that they were both single and interested in each other. He'd have to think about that later. Changing the subject, Fitz asked, "What kind of excitement do we have tonight?"

"Not much. Mr. Danforth is back with his heart arrhythmia. It's too fast this time. Doctor Stephens spoke with him about a pacemaker before he left. They are going to make a decision in the morning and go from there."

"Is his son with him?" Fitz asked.

"Yea, he got here shortly after his father was admitted."

"There's a lady in the emergency room getting her arm x-rayed although a blind person can see that it's broken..." The nurse swiped on the screen of the iPad to find the patient she was talking about. "A Miss Pope."

Fitz's brain went on high alert and his eyes darted to the nurse who had just rattled off the information. "Did you say there's a Miss Pope in here with a possible broken arm?"

"Yea." she said in a voice laced with confusion.

"Quick! What's her first name?" He demanded.

The nurse looked back down at the iPad. "Huh. First name is Olivia. Same as your future girlfriend." She brought her gaze up and was met with his wide eyes. "What's the matter?"

Fitz took off like a bullet towards the emergency room, running as fast as he could. Olivia was in the hospital. Olivia had a broken arm. What the hell had happened to her? Did she have anyone here with her? Was she here alone? Scared? Crying? Too many questions flew through his mind as he pulled back the first curtain. He had to mutter his apologies when he saw that it wasn't Olivia. He had to get to her.

He heard her voice before he ever saw her. She was yelling, but not yelling out in pain. She was telling the nurse on duty that she needed to see Doctor Grant. Fitz turned his head and strode to the direction her voice was coming from. He pulled back the curtain and said, "I hear we have a disgruntled patient in the ER tonight?"

"Thank God. It took you long enough to get here!" she barked.

"You know her?" The nurse asked.

"She's my neighbor in the apartment building I live in." Fitz explained.

"She's loud."

He grinned at the nurse and the depths of her perception. "You have no idea."

"Great. I took an x-ray. Miss Pope broke her radius. She'll need a cast put on. I'll leave you to that happy task." She smiled and left them.

"I'm glad you're here." Olivia said. "This thing hurts like hell."

"Are you alright?" He gently gathered her into his arms, just needing a minute. Her clothes were wet. "Is it raining outside?"

"No." She went back to pouting.

"Why are your clothes and hair all wet? What happened? How did you break your arm?"

"You're gonna laugh at me." She pouted.

"I'm a doctor. I've seen some fucked up stuff. Whatever it is that you think I'm gonna find humor in probably isn't even a blip on my radar."

"Fine, but you're still gonna laugh. I was standing on the curb trying to hail a cab on my way to work."

"Yea. Wait. Where do you work?"

"What?"

"I just realized that I have no idea what you do for a living."

"I'm a waitress at an upscale restaurant. Like the one you took me to dinner at."

"What's it called?" he inquired.

Olivia eyed him suspiciously. "Why? You gonna come eat there one night?"

"No." Yes, he was! "I don't have any free time." He'd find some.

"It's called Cavalarie's."

"That Italian place on eighth street? I've been wanting to go there for the longest time."

"But you don't have any free time, right?"

"That's why I haven't eaten there yet." Fitz said with a look. He'd find out her schedule and surprise her soon. "Anyways, back to your story."

"Oh, right. Ummm, so a cab came to a stop just ahead of me. As I stepped down off the curb, my heel got caught in one of those grates and I fell."

"See my face." Fitz said, pointing at it. "There's not a trace of laughter on it is there?"

"That's not the part I thought you would laugh at. I put my hand out to catch myself and that was when I heard the snap. It was really gross." She shuddered at the thought of it. "Anyways, I pulled my foot free from that damned grate and had just stood up, cradling my arm when a shit load of water comes down on me from outta nowhere."

"What? How'd that happen?"

"I look up and see a woman leaning out of a window with a bucket in her hands. The second the bitch saw me, she pulled herself back into her apartment and shut the window." She glanced over at him, watching his face for traces of amusement.

"Still not laughing over here."

"Once my arm is in a cast I'm going back to that apartment and hitting her with it!" Olivia threatened.

"Easy, Rocky. You aren't going to feel like fighting anything other than sleep and pain for a while. Let's get you taken care of and get you home, okay? Are you ready for some pain meds?"

"That would be good. It really hurts." Her voice trembled and that was the moment Fitz knew she had been fighting to keep herself together.

He looked over her chart to get her height and weight and then wrote a prescription for pain meds and gave her a couple to take now. Olivia's arm was wrapped in a cast – a yellow one because it was her favorite color, Fitz learned – and she was wheeled outside by the good doctor himself and safely loaded into yet another taxi.

"Can you make it safely upstairs once you get home?" He was grinning like an idiot at her and had a feeling she wasn't a fan of it.

Olivia held up her hand where her two heels dangled from her fingers. "I took these off, so I think I can manage somehow. It doesn't hurt right now. Feels kinda good."

"That's the pain medicine talking." He chuckled. "You need to go home and get some sleep. I'll get your prescription filled on my way home and bring it by your place in the morning. That way you won't have to go back out tomorrow or wake up in pain."

She rested her head on her arm on the rolled down window in the backseat of the yellow car. "You're pretty."

Fitz shook his head back and forth with a smile. He opened the front door of the cab and looked at the driver's identification, making a note of it. "Charles? Take her straight home. No stops. No scenic routes. Nothing extra. Here's a fifty dollar bill to ensure that happens."

The driver grinned and reached for the large bill, but Fitz jerked it out of his reach until he met his gaze. Fitz gestured to Olivia. "If I don't get a text message from this woman, as well as from you, within the next twenty five minutes with a photo of her walking into her apartment building, I am going to find you. It won't be pleasant for you when I do. She means a lot to me and I expect you to take extra good care of her. You got all that?"

"What? Is she your sister or somethin'?" The cabbie asked.

Fitz scowled at the man. "Do we look anything like each other? She's...my girlfriend. Take care of her I will go to your supervisor. Is that better?"

"Yea, yea. I got it. You gonna give me that fifty and let us get on the road or what?" he asked impatiently.

He threw the bill into the front seat and slammed the door. Looking back at Olivia he said, "Liv? I need you to text me when you get home. It's really important. Can you do that?"

"You want me to text doctor Grant? Or text my boyfriend?" She burst into a giggling fit.

"Ohhh kay. Nite, Livvie. You, drive safely." he watched until the car was out of sight. That fucker better take care of her and get Olivia home in one piece. Trying to let it go from his mind, Fitz went back inside the hospital to catch up on patients. He went straight to the nurse's station for the info. Two nurses immediately appeared, each with an iPad in her hands. "I'm really sorry I left in such a hurry earlier. When I heard that Olivia was in the emergency room I had to go check on her myself."

"I saw her. Your girlfriend." one of them said.

"She's not my girlfriend." He informed her.

"That's not what you told the cab driver." Momma nurse replied.

Fitz cut his surprised eyes to her but said nothing.

The other two nurses were grinning and listening raptly.

"She's really pretty. What does she see in you though?"

"HA! Next time I'm in a doughnut giving mood, I'll head up to the third floor." Fitz teased.

"I'm kidding. Is she okay? She get cast up and sent home?"

"She did." Momma nurse said. "Got the personal treatment like she was the Queen of Spain or somethin' too. He wheeled her outside himself and gave the cab driver a talking to about taking her straight home and sending him a picture of Olivia walking into her apartment building when they got there." She began to laugh.

"Oh my god. You did not do that did you doctor Grant?"

"What? Were you spying on me?" Fitz asked her. He was surprised.

"Of course I was. It was very sweet to watch. You care about her a lot even though its new. It's nice to see that side of you and to see you happy in your personal life. To see you have a personal life at all is somethin'." She chuckled lightly.

Fitz grinned at her. She was a bit of a smartass, but that was another quality he appreciated about her. She told it like it was. "Like I said, she's special. And whatever happens between us, I have a feeling that it could be something special too."

Momma nurse wasn't done giving advice for the night. "Everyone deserves that. But that cab driver is not gonna be sending you a picture of little Olivia at her front door like its prom night. And if you think different, you're fooling yourself."

Fitz grinned at her. "I had to try. If I don't hear from Olivia within the next half hour, I'll call her myself."

"That's a better plan, but until then, you need to keep yourself busy by checking on your patients."

 **Back to the grind of work tomorrow, so the updates will probably be less frequent. Thanks for hanging with me on this story & letting me know what you think by leaving a review. I love to read all of them. **


	8. Broken and Tired

**Broken and Tired**

She lazily blinked her eyes a few times until they adjusted to the sunlight that was pouring into her bedroom. Fucking daylight ruining her perfectly good sleep. At least it was a sunny day. No rain. Not that it mattered one way or another. She wasn't going outside today for any reason. Wasn't leaving her apartment for any reason either.

Bleary snapshots of the previous night came into focus in her mind as she closed her eyes and willed the precious sleep to come back to her. She vaguely remembered saying goodbye to Fitz at the hospital the night before. She remembered him having a long talk with a cab driver who had taken her home. She remembered that it was funny as hell from her spot in the backseat.

And then it hit her. Her eyes opened and she glanced down at her arm. Yup. Her arm lay there covered in a yellow cast. Olivia remembered that bitch that had thrown water down from her open apartment window. It was her fault Olivia had broken her arm. Olivia also remembered the dark promise to go back and kick that woman's ass for it too. But Fitz had soothed her and made her forget all about everything except getting relief from the pain. He was good at that. He had kept her talking about every detail of what had happened just so she wouldn't think about how much her arm hurt. He was a damned good doctor.

He was sexy too when he was in his element at the hospital. He was sexy all the time, but seeing him in action as a doctor, well, that would pretty much fulfill any daydream a woman's ever had about a sexy doctor. And what kind of shitty irony was it that she had to break her arm to see him in action to fully appreciate it?

She looked at her phone for the time. It was only nine fifteen. Why was she awake at this ungodly hour? Her thoughts went back to her handsome neighbor. He was undoubtedly knocked out in his bed after working all night long. She thought about making him some eggs when he finally woke up. The man would be starving when his eyes finally opened.

Olivia was the kind of person who preferred to be on the move instead of being stationary all the time. She wasn't in much pain and decided that a broken arm wasn't that big of a deal, so she went about her day at home. And then the pain hit her out of nowhere as she was making her bed. She winced loudly and held her arm close to her body. She went into the living room and called Fitz on his cellphone. She tried to control her nervous voice. "Hello? Fitz?"

"Livvie? Wassumatter?" He mumbled sleepily.

"I'm sorry to have woken you up, but can you please come over? My arm is killing me, and I don't know what to do!" she explained.

"Kay. Be right there." he said, crawling out of bed. He looked at the clock and discovered with a groan that he had only been asleep for two hours. Thank God he was off tonight. He'd catch up on sleep as soon as he got her calm and settled. He relieved his bladder and threw on a t-shirt before heading out the door and knocking loudly on hers. "Livvie?" he called out.

When she answered the door, she had tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I know you're exhausted after working all night. I just didn't know who else to call?"

"It's okay. I'm here now. Let's go inside and see what's going on, okay?" he said gently. Once they were inside he led her to the sofa and sat down beside her and began looking at her arm. "How long has it been hurting?"

She wiped her face and said, "Just a few minutes. But it's really intense. It won't let up. I can't deal with this kind of pain until it heals." Olivia began to cry again.

Fitz pulled her onto his lap and held onto her. "Heyyyyyy, it's okay." he said in a soothing tone. "When was the last time you took your medicine?"

"What medicine? Those pills you gave me at the hospital?" She didn't understand.

"No. The ones I brought to you when I got home a little while ago." He said on a yawn.

"You didn't come by here when you got off work." She stated.

"Yea, I did. Remember? You had on a pink t-shirt and pink bath robe." He looked at her now and realized that she had on a purple cami and some shorts. "Where in the hell is your pink shirt and...Oh my god!" He stood up abruptly and set her down before dashing out her door and into his own apartment.

He was back within seconds and he was carrying a small amber colored cylinder with a white label on it. He opened the lid and pulled out one of the pills, handing it to her. "I'm so sorry, Livvie. I must have dreamed that I brought the pills over to you." He got up and made her a small cup of tap water and handed that to her. "It was such a long night and I was beyond exhausted when I finally clocked out. I am so sorry." Once the pill had been swallowed, Fitz brought her back on his lap and began rocking her in his arms. "I feel terrible that you've been in pain because I forgot to bring your medicine."

"It's okay now that I know I won't be feeling like this twenty four seven until it heals. The thought of that scared the shit out of me." She wiped her wet cheeks. "You had just worked all night long. You were tired. It's understandable that you forgot. Do you want to stay here and sleep while I watch television? I promise to keep it on low."

He smiled at her through bleary eyes and kissed the top of her head. "That sounds great, but uhhhhh, I don't see a tv. Where is it?" he asked as he looked around.

"It's in my bedroom."

"Is this a sneaky way to get me into your bed?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're going to sleep and I'm going to watch tv. You're too tired and my arm hurts like a bitch. Nothing is going to happen. I'll probably pass out once the pills kick in anyways. Are you worried about your virtue or something?" she giggled.

"No." he chuckled back. "But tell me you've washed the sheets recently."

"The sheets on my bed are new. In fact, I was making my bed with them when my arm started aching. Happy?" she asked sarcastically.

"Deliriously so. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Did you take a shower when you got home from work? I don't want any baby puke on my new sheets."

"It's the first thing I do when I get home. Let's go lay down before I fall down." He was way passed exhausted and had to close his eyes soon.

The two of them got up and wandered into her bedroom. Fitz crawled under the sheets on the right side of the bed as Olivia watched standing beside it with her hands on her hips. "Uh uh!"

Fitz was spread out on his chest with his eyes closed. He opened one eye and peeped up at her. "Uh uh what?"

"This is my side of the bed. You need to move over."

"You couldn't have told me that before I got comfortable?" He mumbled and moved.

Olivia got under the sheet and said, "thanks for warming up this spot for me."

"You're mean when you're in pain." He said and turned his head in the opposite direction and closed his eyes.

"You're crabby when you need sleep." She turned on the television and turned the volume down as low as she could. She laid her head down on her pillow and looked over in his direction. He had turned his head back towards her but had his eyes closed. Olivia grinned at his peaceful handsome face. Knowing there was no way he could be asleep so fast, she pushed a rebellious lone curl off of his forehead.

His eyes popped open. "What are you doing?" He demanded.

"You had hair in your face. I moved it out of the way."

"I was asleep."

"Stop being a baby. Damn! You need some sleep."

"If you'd stop touching me and talking to me I could do that!" He impatiently explained.

She mimicked his voice as best she could. "If you'd stop touching me and talking to me I could do that."

"What? Are you three years old?" he was aggravated, and she wasn't helping the situation by acting childish. He just wanted to get some shut eye for a while.

"What? Are you three years old?" She continued to mimic him, finding it endlessly entertaining.

His voice was deep and threatening when he spoke the lone word. "Livvie."

Olivia dropped her chin and her eyebrows as low as she could, to her deepen her voice and match his baritone as she ushered the same threat. "Livvie."

Fitz chuckled at Olivia's attempt at copying his deep voice. He looked up at her once more. She was grinning smugly as she lay back on her pillow, eyes on the television, arms folded across her chest, very proud of herself. She didn't do a half bad job at mimicking him. But that wasn't the point. Retribution had to be made. He snaked an arm over her middle and quickly pulled her towards his side of the bed.

All of the air in Olivia's lungs whooshed out as she found herself quickly being jerked towards Fitz. Her expression went from one of shock to one of feline pleasure as two blue eyes dancing with mischief looked down at her.

"Fitz! You could've bumped my arm!" she chided.

He figured now it was his turn to mock her. In his highest pitch he shrieked out, "Fitz! You could've bumped my arm!" He laughed deep and rich at how ridiculous his voice sounded at that octave.

"I'm serious!" She decided she didn't like this game anymore.

"I'm serious!"

"My voice does not sound anything like that!" He opened his mouth to repeat it, but Olivia raised her eyebrows at him and pointed a finger in his face saying, "I wouldn't if I were you."

He grinned down at her and tightened his hold around her waist, being very careful about her arm. "What would you do if you were me right now?" He was challenging her.

Olivia's eyes went from his gorgeous tired but still playful blue eyes to his mouth. "I'd probably kiss you before you fell asleep." She licked her lips just before she lifted her head and brought her good arm around his neck to bring his face down to hers in a heated kiss. He might have been tired, but his sleepy brain caught on quickly to what was happening, and Fitz poured himself into the kiss.

He was the first to open his mouth and deepen the surprised kiss. He felt her foot begin to slowly run up and down the length of his shin. He loved the feel of her smooth silky skin under his and imagined having her completely bare under his own naked body as his large hands took their time discovering every inch of her creamy cocoa skin.

He pushed that thought from his mind since it wasn't an option right now and tried for slightly tamer thoughts. She was warm and eager and currently had a vice like hold on the back of his neck, holding him in place. It would have been a problem if he were trying to get away from her, but Fitz was completely content right where he was at the moment.

Olivia's left arm was bent at the elbow safely tucked inside it's cast and laying across her stomach. She hated to break the amazing kiss, and even reconsidered the idea of sex briefly before feeling the forgotten thump of pain from her arm as it lay there motionless. As Fitz took his lips on a lazy trail to her neck, she regretfully realized that sex would not be a good idea yet. Her arm would end up in pain from getting bumped or moved too quickly. She wanted to be able to give Fitz her complete attention when they were together. Still the things his mouth was doing in her neck and ear were turning her brain to mush.

Her skin smelled so good. He needed to know what kind of perfume she wore. He planned to buy her an endless supply of it. It was something feminine and sweet with a hint of lilacs, and the intoxicating smell made him want to spend hours in her neck. Fitz kissed the column of her neck and was rewarded with Olivia craning it in the opposite direction to give him better access. Her breathing was shallow, but he couldn't be sure if it was from their earlier kissing, or if it was a reaction to what his mouth was currently doing to her.

She was writhing as he continued to kiss, lick, and nibble on her tender skin. Breathing a little quicker himself, and feeling a little bolder, Fitz lifted his head to keep an eye on her bad arm and shifted his weight so that his body covered hers. Her little feet began stroking his muscular hairy calves and her fingers dragged a lazy unknown pattern in his chest hair. He closed his eyes and groaned, wishing more than anything that there weren't any clothes in the bed. Or a broken bone.

He looked into her half open eyes and saw need there. "This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea." he repeated out loud.

"No, it's not!" she whined. She looked like a petulant child.

Fitz grinned down at her and quickly touched his lips to hers. "You're kinda cute when you pout."

"Remember that the next time I'm hungry." she mumbled before attaching her lips to his once again.

Wanting to see what she'd say, he replied, "you seem kinda hungry right now."

Olivia lifted her pelvis and ground it into his as she kept her eyes on his until the blue orbs crossed. "Let's hope this cast comes off on a day when you don't have to work. By then I'll be starving." The idea she meant to convey was not lost on him.

He could feel himself hardening, and while that might make Olivia change her mind about wanting to be intimate, Fitz knew the timing was all wrong right now. Her arm would require Olivia to be careful with it or pain would radiate throughout her body. He didn't want to be the reason she changed her mind anyways. They had plenty of time to get to know each other while her arm healed. Sex would give them something to look forward to and learn patience about in the meantime.

He sighed loudly and moved himself off of her body. She tried to keep him in place, but it was useless with only one good arm to attempt it. "Why'd you move?" she asked.

He didn't have to fake the yawn that came out of his mouth and said, "I'm just really tired, Livvie. I'm sorry, but I have got to get some sleep. I can't keep my eyes open much longer."

She leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek, pushing that same curl off of his forehead. This time he didn't so much as flinch. "Goodnight, Fitz."

"Mmmmm" was the only sound he made before he fell from consciousness.


	9. Two Weeks

**Two Weeks**

Olivia's arm was healing nicely. The yellow cast covering her forearm had acquired several interesting signatures as well. All but one of them were from her co-workers. The only non-work related one belonged to Fitz. Both he and Olivia had been counting the days until the heavy awkward cast came off, so they could enjoy each other fully and without hinderances.

Each of them respected the boundaries that had been previously and consensually agreed upon. But that didn't stop them from pushing those boundaries as far as humanly possible. A graze here. A touch there. Deep heated kisses that constantly shifted their imaginations into overdrive and left both of them breathless in the end. And maybe a little frustrated too. It was a vicious cycle, but one they enjoyed.

Olivia and Fitz had been out at least once a week since she broke her arm. They went to dinner, the movies, out to get ice cream; and once they escaped her apartment after things had gotten especially heated between them to go for a walk to cool down.

Fitz had learned all kinds of things about Olivia. Her favorite ice cream flavor was mint chocolate chip – disgusting in his opinion, but to each their own – she loved red wine, a good whodunit to read on rainy days, and her only sister. She hated getting up early, the apartment building they lived in, and Thai food. Naturally he made her explain the Thai food thing. She told him she ate it once and it had "altered her digestive system for a good three days". He had found that a lot more humorous than she did.

The cast was coming off in two weeks time.

"Fourteen days to go!" Fitz said, making a large red X on the number on the wall hanging calendar.

"It's going to take forever!" Olivia whined.

Fitz pecked her lips and chuckled. "Don't be such a baby. There is plenty to do around the city. We need to get out of this apartment building and go explore some of it."

"Is my name Lewis or Clark?" she asked straight faced. He shook his head back and forth at her and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Then I'm not interested in going exploring."

Olivia went to stand in front of him and put her arms around his waist, grinning. "Unless it's exploring what's inside your underwear."

"That's it! We're going outside. Fresh air will do you some good. In public, where you can't sexually harass or assault me. I'll report you, Livvie." He threatened and led the way to her door.

Olivia shook her head back and forth and turned her mouth downward as she mocked him. "I'll report you, Livvie."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Don't do that. I hate it when you do that."

"Well...I hate it when you won't have sex with me!" she shouted.

He pulled her close to his chest and spoke in hushed tones. "In fourteen days, I am going to destroy you. I am going to do things to you that will turn you into a quivering exhausted puddle of mush. I will make you scream my name for hours. And when you've had enough, can't take anymore pleasure kind of enough, that's when I will really start working you over. So, you'd be wise to enjoy being able to breathe without wheezing. Or walking without having sore thighs from being open for long periods of time. Or seeing your skin without marks all over it. I'm going to do all of that and a lot more." He stared at her for a long moment before he released her hand and walked out the door.

Olivia was already breathing hard and her thighs were squeezed tightly together. That man could paint a picture! A vivid one too! As she followed him out the door in complete silence, she wondered if she could talk her doctor into taking the cast of early?

The two of them walked around the city for a while, before Olivia dragged him into a charming little bakery called The Sweet Spot. They each got two cupcakes and were wished a great day from a smiling young woman named Oakleigh. As they walked back out into the sunny afternoon, they savored the scrumptious sweets and discovered that their feet had led them to Central Park.

"Let's rent a paddle boat." Olivia giddily suggested when she saw a couple going by in one.

Fitz wrinkled his nose. "A paddle boat? Which one of us is gonna be doing the rowing?"

"You of course."

"Of course. But why is it me?"

"Because you are the one with the amazing arm muscles. I'll bet you look really sexy rowing a boat too?" She ran her hand up and down his bicep with a smile on her face. "Besides, my arm is broken." Her smile turned into a pathetic frown.

"Oh-kay." He took a step backwards and watched her drop her hand. "Stop touching my arm while giving me fuck me eyes. It ain't gonna happen, Livvie! You really should be more careful about the things you do to me. Do you know what the punishment is for sexual harassment in a public place?"

She sighed loudly, clearly uninterested in what he was saying. "Nope. And I really don't care what it is either."

"Well...It's probably pretty bad. Bad enough that you should calm down."

"You're cranky when you need to get laid. You know, I can fix that." She gave him her best seductive look. "All you gotta do is take my cast off a little early."

He laughed at her. "Oh, that's all I gotta do?" He laughed some more and then gave her a serious expression. "Taking off your cast early just so you can get your jollies ain't gonna happen either."

"I'm pretty sure you'd get some jolly too, Fitz. Pleeeeeeease! Sex aside for a minute, I hate this thing. It's heavy and ugly and doesn't match anything I wear."

She had her hands together as if in prayer. She looked so damn cute he almost said yes. But common sense had him voicing the appropriate response. "You aren't Ricky Bobby and the cast stays put for fourteen more days. But...I could give you an eyeful of my amazing muscles and row you around in a paddle boat. If that's what you're into?" He grabbed her hand and led the way.

Excited, Olivia kissed him on the cheek and chirped, "yayyyy!"

They walked hand in hand until they found Loeb Boathouse. Fitz rented a boat and both of them were given life jackets. After they were put on, Olivia and Fitz got inside and the two of them were pushed out onto the water. It was a beautiful day to spend a few hours on the water, and Fitz wanted to make the most of it. He had no desire to go back into the apartment and fight the carnal need that was a constant in his mind. Besides, it was his day off and he wasn't going to spend it indoors on a day like today.

He sat opposite of Olivia in the small boat and as she took in the scenery around them, he concentrated on rowing straight. It took him a few minutes, but he finally got the hang of it. There were several other couples out on the water and she excitedly waved to them while keeping a firm grip on the side of the boat. They had all day long, so he took his time rowing as he watched Olivia enjoy seeing things from their perspective.

They were gliding on the water, not moving very fast. Olivia had leaned over the side of the boat and dipped her good hand into the water and was watching the ripples it caused in its wake. She glanced over at him with a wistful smile. "I could stay out here on the water forever. It's so peaceful and perfect."

She looked peaceful and perfect. The sun was shining down on her, bringing a healthy glow to her skin. Her hair was almost touching the top of the water as she leaned over the side of the boat and played in it with her long graceful fingers. She had kicked off her shoes the moment they had gotten into the boat, and her toes were rubbing against each other. He noticed peach nail polish on them today. How she kept up with all of that feminine stuff was beyond him. She looked as carefree as a child and Fitz was going to remember how relaxed she was on the water.

Still, as he looked on her with a loving smile, he hadn't lost his sarcasm. "So, if I said, let's ditch the boat and go home and have sex, you wouldn't be interested?"

She sat up straight and looked at him with inquisitive eyes much faster than she should have. The boat rocked back and forth as both of their eyes grew wider by the second and their hands instinctively grabbed the sides of the boat. "Stop moving, Livvie!" he commanded.

"I'm not moving! I'm not even blinking! I'm only talking because you were yelling at me." She retaliated nervously.

In a much calmer voice he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I thought this damned boat was going to tip over. We would have been in a huge mess if that had happened." He looked around. The rocking had stopped and they were both still dry. "I think we are okay now though."

"Good, because I REALLY didn't want to end up in that disgusting looking water. It would have gone in my mouth and that is just a gross thought."

Fitz began to laugh at her.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You are! You've been dragging your hand in that disgusting looking water for a while and haven't thought twice about it." he explained.

"So?"

"So, you've already wiped your face with that same hand. You've already gotten that water on your face." He began to laugh again.

Olivia leaned over the edge of the boat and flicked her hand towards him, effectively splashing him on his face and chest. She laughed at his horrified face.

"Cut it out, Liv! I don't want that water the ducks have shit in all over me either. Let's go back to the boathouse and just go home. What did you do with the oars?"

She crinkled up her face at him. "Last time I checked, you were the one rowing with the oars. The questions is, what did YOU do with them?"

"It's not funny. Just give them to me and we can both get out of this death trap." He was getting impatient with her.

"Where would I stash two oars, Fitz? Do I look like David Copperfield to you?" She scanned the water and saw them floating about fifty feet away. "You mean those two oars? I believe you dropped them into the water when you thought the boat was gonna tip over? Would you care to comment on that, Mr. Grant?"

Fitz closed his eyes and shut out her laughter, taking a deep breath. When he opened them ten seconds later, she was no longer laughing at him. "What are we gonna do now? We can't live out here." he chuckled.

She gingerly stood up and quickly went to sit beside him on his bench. She snuggled into his side and asked, "you'd keep me warm at night, wouldn't you?"

He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. In a bored voice he replied, "I guess. If I have to. Someone's gotta keep Ricky Bobby warm."

Olivia giggled and poked him in the ribs, making him jump. "Don't rock the boat!"

"Then don't poke me where I'm ticklish!"

"How are we going to get back to the boathouse? Seriously?"

"You could swim for it while I guard the boat?" He suggested.

"And get my cast wet?" She asked in a voiced laced with sarcasm. "My doctor would love that."

"You'd definitely get it taken off a lot sooner." She moved to the edge of the boat and looked down. "No! I was just kidding."

Another boat floated by with an older couple inside, smiling away without a care in the world. "Excuse me?" Olivia called out. The couple looked over at her and waved. She waved back with a smile plastered on her face. In a voice only Fitz heard, she said through her smiling teeth, "I hope they can hear me."

"Beautiful day for a boat ride isn't it?" The elderly woman asked.

"Absolutely it is! But, ummm, we have lost our paddles. They are right there close to your boat. Do you see them?" Olivia pointed at the floating oars.

"Oh yes! That's odd. What are they doing all the way over here?" she asked.

"He dropped them when he got spooked is all."

The woman's face went down to the water. "What spooked him? Something in the water? What was it? Did you see something?"

With her teeth still pressed together, but confusion now on her face Olivia said to Fitz, "What is she talking about?"

Fitz shrugged, as confused as Olivia was.

"The water is haunted you see." The woman explained.

Olivia dropped the fake smile immediately. "We've got to get the hell off of this water!"

"Could you please bring us our oars, so we can get back to the boathouse? We'd really appreciate the help." Fitz explained. "Otherwise, we're going to be stuck out here all night and who knows what happens in this water once it's dark."

"You're not helping!" Olivia said louder than she meant to. She looked up at the older couple, who looked like they wanted nothing to do with operation rescue the stupid people in the haunted water. "I'm sorry. He pinched me."

"Are you sure it wasn't something in the water?"

"Fitz, get out of the boat and start kicking your legs! I am not staying on this water a second longer than I have to!" Panic was bubbling up in her voice.

The older man flipped his own oar under one of theirs. He wouldn't touch it, but somehow got the other one on top of his oar too. He used his other oar to somehow get their boat over to Olivia and Fitz's and unceremoniously flicked them off his own oar and began paddling away without a word. "I hope the both of you will be alright now?"

Fitz grabbed the wet oars and began rowing. The entire scenario was hilarious to him. Haunted water! "We'll be fine." he replied. "Thank you again."

Olivia sat ramrod straight back on her own bench and was looking into the water for...pretty much anything out of the ordinary. Fitz waited until she had relaxed several hundred degrees. "What the fuck was that?" He exclaimed.

She whipped her head around to see what he was pointing at. "Holy shit! What was it? Where?"

Fitz kept a firm grip on the oars and began laughing until his belly hurt. He was laughing so hard he could only get a few words out at a time. "It was the...ghost of...Fisherman Frank."

"Who the hell is that?" She asked with her wide eyes on the water.

"He used to fish...on this lake. He...died of..."

"He died of what?" Olivia asked with huge eyes.

"He died of laughter...when his...girlfriend told him that...the water was haunted." He exploded into wild laughter as Olivia stared at him. He had tears coming down his cheeks, he was laughing so hard. Olivia sat on her bench in complete silence all the way to the boathouse.


	10. Explosion

**Explosion**

Today was the day. Olivia was getting the hated yellow cast taken off. Her appointment was at four o'clock at the hospital where Fitz worked and to say both of them were very eagerly anticipating coming back to the apartment together afterwards for a sexual celebration was a supreme understatement. Naked time with Olivia was going to happen today.

When they had found out the date her cast was being removed, Fitz requested the day off from work to be with her. She didn't need him to go with her to her appointment. The cast was going to be cut off her arm. She wasn't scared or anxious about it. She had told him repeatedly that he didn't need to be with her until after she was done and back home.

Still, Fitz was going with her. He knew that the machine that cut the cast off could be a bit intimidating and loud. He knew Olivia was made of sterner stuff, but he didn't have anywhere to be today. And there was nowhere he would rather be than with her. It was settled in his mind.

Fitz got out of bed, brushed his teeth, and began to make breakfast. It wasn't Saturday, but still a special day, so he went with his infamous blueberry pancakes. As he flipped the first one over a knock sounded on his door. He unlocked the door, knowing it was Olivia, and went back to the stove. She brought the newspaper inside and laid it on the table, and then made her way to the cabinets and pulled out two plates. She set them on the table and began to make coffee. After the forks were on the table, she came over to where Fitz stood and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

That was his cue.

She had done her part of preparing breakfast and was ready to be rewarded. They had this system down pat and had been starting their mornings off like this for a week now. Fitz poured the last of the batter into the frying pan with one hand on both of her forearms, which were still on his stomach. He set down the small empty bowl and turned around to face Olivia. He cupped her cheeks and smiled down at her, saying "good morning."

His smile was reciprocated, and she put her arms around his neck and said, "good morning to you."

Fitz leaned down and kissed her lips. The kiss turned hungry every morning and Fitz always pulled away just before the pancakes burned. He turned around and flipped them expertly, turning off the stove too, and then turned back around to face her. "That was close."

"You say that every morning." she said, rolling her eyes.

"I won't be saying it tomorrow morning." he said with a knowing grin.

"No?" She asked, with a grin of her own. "Why not?"

In a low voice he informed her. "Tomorrow morning, I plan to have already eaten my breakfast by this time."

She shot him an incredulous look. "If you think for one minute I'm going to get up and cook you..."

"Ohhh noooo! You misunderstood me, little woman. The last thing on my mind tomorrow morning is you getting out of bed at all. No. See, I plan on having breakfast in bed." He slowly licked his lips and watched realization hit her as she stared at his tongue.

Olivia stepped out of his grasp and put a hand on her hip. "You know your oral fixation has nothing whatsoever to do with my arm, right?"

He stepped towards her and asked, "What are you saying? And why haven't you said it before now?"

"I'm saying sex with me is going to be rough and fast and wild. At least the first ten or twelve times. So, the chances of my arm getting bumped and pain shooting through it is pretty high. But you aren't anywhere near my arm when your head is between my thighs, so I don't understand why you haven't already..."

He effectively ended her talking by carefully picking her up and placing her over his shoulder, taking long strides to his bedroom. He slowly slid her down the length of his body until her smiling triumphant mouth was right in front of his and her pelvis was touching his. He tilted his head and roughly kissed her until she was breathless and had to break the kiss for air.

Olivia realized she was already on her back when Fitz slithered off her and started making his way down her body. She had the nerve to be wearing that fucking pink t shirt this morning. His hands skimmed down the sides of her ribcage as his face moved south, but they did wander over to momentarily slide underneath the pink material and massage the silky soft rounded skin there.

He pulled up the edge of her shirt, just to sample the now hardened pebbles underneath when his mind went absolutely blank of all thoughts and words. Olivia Pope wasn't wearing any panties. He knew it! The hardened nipples that had captured his complete attention mere seconds ago were long forgotten. Paradise was right there, and she was practically calling his name. "I'll be having my breakfast now."

Fitz settled himself between her legs, pushing them open wide, and dipped his head to her center. He started by alternating between lavishing kisses and dragging his tongue up her center. Once she became accustomed to that, he slid a long lean finger inside of her. She groaned at the feel of it. When her body began to writhe, Fitz added another finger and started to flick his tongue on her bundle of nerves.

"Mmmmmm!" she breathed out. "Oh my...Yes! Right there!" she encouraged and opened her legs a little wider as pleasure spread through her body.

He was fascinated at how well her body responded to his touch. Wanting to add more stimulation, he reached a hand up and began lightly pinching her nipple as his other hand doubled its efforts. He lifted his head and watched as her face contorted with pleasure and her body moved with his fingers. She was gripping the sheet so hard her knuckles were white. She was so fucking beautiful. "I can't wait until tonight. You want it fast and rough and wild the first ten or twelve times? We should be able to get that taken care of by morning. I hope you slept well last night, Livvie cause you're not getting any tonight."

He put his mouth back to work and she started swearing loudly and pulling his hair. "More...DO IT FASTER! Like that! Ohhhhhh yea." Moments later, she fell to pieces with a loud scream of "FIIIIIIITZ!"

As much as he hated the screaming a month ago, he decided he hated the silence even more now. Olivia was something to behold when she was reaching her peak. He silently watched her now as her body convulsed from the after shocks of her orgasm. He couldn't wait to get her body writhing with need under his own once they got that cast taken off. He had big plans for Olivia's little body.

He flattened his tongue and ran it up over her navel and veered off to the left until he reached the peak that was standing at attention just for him. Fitz took it into his mouth and began sucking until he heard Olivia groan in the midst of her heavy breathing and felt her push him off of her. "I was doing something important and you interrupted me." he said with annoyed authority.

"Are you starting something?" She asked with raised eyebrows. She really hoped that he was.

"What if I am?" he challenged. He wondered how in the hell he could get her quiet again, so he could go back to his very important activities?

"You shouldn't start something you can't finish." she warned. She knew that Fitz would take that as a challenge and smiled openly at him.

"Who says I can't finish this?" He quickly dipped his head and resumed his work. She was beginning to warm up to the idea of more and had shifted her body so that he would lavish the same attention on the other pebbled nipple, which he did with great enthusiasm. He had her right where he wanted her. More correctly, Livvie had him right where she wanted him. He didn't care who was where. Right now, they were both very happy.

Olivia grabbed his hair and brought his lips back up to her own and kissed him fiercely. She broke the kiss and began kissing him along his jawline and said, "I can't wait until tonight. I want you right now!"

Fitz froze. This was not part of their plan. Their plan was specific. Wait until the cast came off. Now she was telling him she didn't want to wait. He took a moment to ask her about her decision because he didn't want to take advantage of the situation. "Are you sure? This isn't what you originally wanted. You wanted to wait until the cast was off." He wasn't one to argue, but he wanted her to be sure that that was what she wanted.

They looked at each other with an all consuming intensity. "I want you to fuck me senseless right now!"

"I can't do that while your cast is on. I'm going to have to go slow so I don't hurt your arm." He hoped she wouldn't say no now.

Olivia sighed heavily. "Fine. Make love to me. Should I go and put on some cheesy music to slow down the mood for you?" She asked sarcastically.

"For me?" He looked down at her with an are you serious expression. "You're the one talking about fucking like caged wild animals all night long. I think you're the one who needs to calm down, don't you?"

"Are you scared of me when I talk like that?" She asked in a sultry voice.

His expression didn't change. "Scared of you? No. It just means you'll be able to keep up with the pace I'm used to."

"Oh. So, you always fuck like wild caged animals? That's interesting." she said with a grin.

"Shut up. All I can imagine is two horny little foxes living in a cage and constantly banging. Are we doing this or not?" he asked.

"Oh yea!"

Magic words. Much better than abracadabra! Still he hesitated before he asked an important question. "Birth control?"

"I've been on the pill for years. I'm good. Are you? I'd reallllly like to find out soon." she said with a smirk.

No condoms! His inner rejoicing was short lived. He wanted to get to it already. He began to take off his shorts and underwear when his cell phone rang from the other room.

Olivia's ears perked at the sound of his now familiar ring tone. In a desperate voice whispered, "Please tell me that you don't have to answer that? Not now!"

Fitz stopped removing his clothing from his lower half and sighed as he pulled them back on. He kissed Olivia on the forehead and said. "It could be the hospital. If it's not, I'll get rid of them quick and be right back. Okay?"

She summoned up a smile and said, "okay." She wanted to hope that it was anyone other than the hospital but knew that was a waste of time.

He went into the kitchen and found his phone on the table. He looked at the face of it. Of course, it was the hospital. He groaned before answering it, knowing sex with Olivia was about to be put off. "Hello?"

"Doctor Grant? This is nurse Maureen at the hospital. We need you to come in and help out." She sounded anxious.

"Help out with what exactly?" he asked. He was already heading back into his bedroom and grabbing his scrubs from his closet.

"There was an explosion." was all she said.

"There was about to be one here too." he muttered.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Fitz cleared his throat. "Nothing. Sorry. An explosion?"

She proceeded to tell him about a massive explosion that had taken place in an old apartment building in the city. "All of the wounded are already on route to the hospital. We need all hands on deck for this one."

"I'll be there in about a half hour." He promised and ended the call. He went into his bathroom and pulled on his scrubs. He stepped out and found Olivia, still lying on his bed. She looked up at him with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. I have to go into the hospital. It's probably going to take a while."

"But it's your day off." she commented.

"No such thing when you're a resident." He went to sit on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes and socks. She still had her pink shirt up around her neck and was lying there completely comfortable in her own naked skin to not care that he was looking at her. "I hate to leave you all worked up and hanging like this."

"I told you not to start something you can't finish." She sat up on the bed and laid her head on his shoulder. "You're gonna make it up to me, right?"

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" he wondered aloud.

"Do you want one?"

He smiled at her. "Nope." Fitz stood and pulled her up with him. He held onto her for a moment. "I really am sorry, Livvie but I have to go."

"That's okay. I'll lock up after I eat the pancakes you made, drink all your coffee, and take a nap in your bed. I'll text you after I get the cast off. We'll have our sexual celebration another day. Go help those people, doctor daring."

The truth was, she was proud of the work that Fitz did. She wasn't a huge fan of their plans being interrupted whenever the hospital called, but he was doing good work and he was an excellent doctor. He was doing what made him happy and that made Olivia happy. She really had been feeling pretty proud of herself for talking him into sex while her arm was still in the cast.

"Come find me when you get there. If I can get away, I'll go with you to get it taken off. I'd really like to do that." When she nodded that she would, he pecked her lips one more time, said goodbye, and reluctantly walked out the door.


	11. Fast, Rough, and Wild

**Fast Rough and Wild**

"Residency has been tough. Tougher than I thought it would be. No matter how prepared or rested I am when I start my shift, by the end of it, I feel like I've been drained. Sucked dry of all my physical resources. But I absolutely love it and can't imagine doing anything else."

Fitz was on the phone when Olivia dropped by his apartment. He looked up at her and smiled as he ushered her inside. She had on a very cute, very short simple little sky blue sundress. She looked incredibly sexy and the first thought on his mind was panties or no panties? He wondered if that question would ever not go through his mind whenever he saw her? She sat down beside him on the couch and his arm instinctively went around her.

It was Saturday and she knew that most likely Fitz was on the phone with his mother. He pressed a kiss to her temple as he continued his conversation.

"Why are you changing the subject?" he chuckled. "You're so nosey about my personal life. Do I ask you about how many boyfriends you have or which one you are dating each week? No, I don't. Because it's none of my business. Just like my personal life is none of yours."

"Mom?" Olivia couldn't hear what was being said, but she knew that he was interrupting his mother. "Mom! I am well aware of the fact that you gave birth to me. That doesn't entitle you to know everything going on in my life until the day I die." He paused. "No, it doesn't! You're crazy as hell!"

He got up to pace and began laughing at her. "You are relentless! For your information there is a woman that I'm seeing." Fitz cut his eyes to Olivia and smiled. "She is a very nice girl. Her name is Olivia. She's here right now. Yea. She just came over."

Fitz rolled his eyes. "No, I don't make her come to my place because I'm too lazy to go to hers. I've been to her place plenty of times. Mom, she's my neighbor. Yup."

Olivia watched as he furrowed his brow and cast a nervous glance at her. "Why? Because I want to know why. Because you're my mother is not an acceptable reason." He listened for another minute and then said, "fine" before he held the phone out to Olivia. "She wants to talk to you."

Now she understood what the nervous look was all about. "What? Why?" she hissed quietly.

"Because she's nosey, that's why." Fitz said loud enough for his mother to hear.

Knowing she would come across as rude, Olivia took the phone and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"

Fitz watched Olivia sit ramrod straight on the couch, full of nerves as she spoke to his mother in one word answers. His mother had that effect on people. But then, a few minutes later Olivia leaned back against the couch and began laughing. "I agree. He does need some training with his phone etiquette. Usually he's a very well mannered man. But lately something has come over him, bringing about some nasty changes."

Fitz's mouth hung open and he silently pointed an accusatory finger at Olivia herself.

"It could be anyone. A new doctor at the hospital. Another tenant in the building. It could be the place he gets his Mexican food from? New York is not exactly known for its manners." She looked up at him and sent him a wink. "I'll keep an eye on him and if I notice anything vastly different, I'll let you know. It was good talking to you too. Here's Fitz."

He covered the mouth piece with his hand and told Olivia, "why did you tell my mother that I'm rude? Now I'll be lucky to get off the phone with her any time today!"

Olivia stuck her tongue out at him.

He put the receiver up to his ear and pleasantly said, "Are you happy now? I told you she is a very nice girl. Yes, I did!" he chuckled. Fitz looked over at Olivia and kept his eyes on her as he spoke gently to his mother, "sie ist besonders und ich verliebe mich in sie. Yes. Really."

Olivia's eyebrows dropped in question. She had no idea what he had said in German to his mother, but she had some idea that it was about her. And now she wanted to know what it meant in English. She planned on Googling it, but she couldn't remember what he had even said to type it in the search bar. She definitely wouldn't be able to spell it even if she could remember what he had said.

"Ok, now you ARE making me very rude by not allowing me to spend time with Olivia. I'll talk to you next week. I love you too. Bye." He ended the call and tossed his cell phone onto a chair nearby on his way to get a kiss from Livvie. Once she was gathered into his arms, he pressed a kiss to her lips. When he pulled away he asked, "How are you today?"

"Much better now. Your mom seems nice." She said with her arms around his neck.

"Yea. She's great. A little nosey, but she's always been that way. I like to give her a hard time about it as often as I can, but I'm used to it."

"You guys have a good relationship and it seems like you can talk to each other about almost anything. That's amazing." Olivia said with a smile.

"MmmHmm. What about you and your mother? Do the two of you get along?"

"We have our moments. She gets along much better with my sister."

"The one who wants death to come during sex?" he asked with a grin.

"Yea. Her. Mom gets along better with Emily because she was the type of kid who always went with the flow of things. Did what she was asked. Didn't talk back. Got decent grades. Em was that kid."

Fitz saw where this was going, and his grin became playful and grew even wider. "And you were like what as a kid?"

"Your basic nightmare." She said without any qualms. "If mom told me to clean my room, I stood there and shouted that I didn't have to. I was the rebel. The pain in the ass."

"So, what you're saying is, you've been a screamer for a very, very long time?"

"That's all you got from that?" she asked with an eye roll.

"MmmmHmmm." He grabbed her hand, backed her into a wall, and leaned close to her face. His grin was gone and was replaced with an intense look. "I think it's time for us to see just how loud you can get."

Something stirred inside Olivia under his predatory eye. "What if the hospital calls you in like they did the last time?"

"Why are you still talking?" He grabbed her chin and connected their mouths together in a rough kiss as he began walking her backwards to his bedroom. He pushed her down on his big bed and said, "we are getting right to it this time."

Breathlessly, Olivia got up on her knees and pulled her dress over her head, revealing that she had not a stitch on underneath it. She grinned when she heard Fitz groan appreciatively and eye her body. "Fast. Rough. And wild. Let's do this."

He needed a minute. Just one. To look at her damn near perfect body in all its flawless beauty. This little woman packed some amazing curves underneath all of her pretty clothes. He could spend hours just looking at her. The things he was about to do to that body...

Fitz hurriedly pulled his shirt up over his head and threw it to the floor behind him. He looked at Olivia, already wanting her desperately. Her playful yet challenging beautiful brown eyes were on his brilliant blue ones. "Do you remember what I told you I would do to you two weeks ago?"

"You said that you were going to destroy me." Her confident smile grew even bigger and she beckoned him with her index finger. In a bored voice and a doubting expression she said, "Well? I'm waiting."

He pulled off his shorts and underwear, and got on his knees, making his way over to her on the bed. "That rebellious mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one day."

Olivia's eyebrows went up to the ceiling at the sight of his naked body. He had a fantastic one. His chiseled chest she had seen before. There was his cute little innie belly button. But then, right below that, a thin dark patch of curls led the way to an impressive sight to behold. Her eyes had laser focus on his hardened length. "Come here and let me show you what I can do with my rebellious mouth."

"Uh uh. Maybe next time? Fast and rough and wild is what you requested. What was it? The first twenty to thirty times?" He tried to grab her arm, but she evaded it with a giggle.

"Something like that." Olivia chuckled as she moved to the right on the bed.

"Yea. Something like that. So, that's the goal for today." He wanted his hands on her body more than anything, but he was willing to play her little hard to get game for another ten seconds. After that, all bets were off!

"It's a good goal. So, uhhhh, when are you gonna make your first move? Or is a naked stare off on your bed pretty much all the wild, fast, and rough you can handle?" She teased. Olivia could see the  
desire in his eyes. This was about to get intense. She had no doubts about that. He just had to catch her first.

Fitz reached out to try to grab her with his right hand and while her attention was on it, she missed his left one as he brought it behind her knees, knocking her flat on her back. He pounced on top of her, resting his weight on his forearms as he got settled between her legs, and felt hers go around his waist. He smiled triumphantly down at her, well pleased with himself. "I can handle a lot more than that, Livvie." He leaned down and lightly nipped her bottom lip with his teeth. He released her lip slowly and added, "I'm about to find out if you can too."

"Let's see if the wait was worth it." Olivia replied.

Without wasting time to reply to her sarcasm, Fitz dipped his head and eagerly dragged his tongue along the underside of her breast before sucking hard on the skin there. After seeing that he had left a mark on her skin, Fitz took his time lazily dragging his tongue across her nipple before sucking hard on the stiff peak. Beneath him Olivia squirmed and held his body captive as her legs squeezed tighter around his waist.

"Please, Fitz." It came out as a begged whisper.

He was enjoying seeing Olivia like this. She was quivering with anticipation. He had no doubt their joining would be anything other than spectacular. He leaned down and kissed her, watching her face for the fast coming change in reaction he knew she was about to have. The moment Olivia opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, he thrust his hips quickly, pushing his entire length into her. Overcome with sensation, he groaned at the exquisite feeling of the snug surrounding. "Fuuuuck, Liv!" This was everything he had imagined it to be and still so much more. He dropped his head to her neck and took a second to appreciate it. He knew he should be moving, but he needed a minute first.

Olivia's eyes flew open wide and she gasped loudly the moment she felt Fitz thrust himself deep inside of her. She clawed his back, knowing she was leaving ugly red scratches and little crescents from her fingernails. "Oh god!" she exclaimed, when she found her voice again. He certainly knew how to deliver. She couldn't wait for him to set a fast pace.

"You like that? I can't really tell. You're being kind of quiet." Fitz teased. "Let's see if this helps?" He gripped her leg tightly, knowing she would be marked by his fingerprints, and brought it up near her chest. He pulled almost all the way out of her and then slammed himself back inside her heat.

"MORE!" Olivia loudly demanded.

Her loud command was the defining moment for him. His hips thrust repeatedly and lightning fast. He couldn't move them fast enough. He was racing to the finish line, but he knew he wouldn't want to cross it when he finally got there. Fitz wanted this to go on for hours. Her body felt like it had been made for him and he was already thinking of how he was going to take her during an equally energetic round two.

The moment Olivia felt his attention slip a little, she used her weight to roll them over. She felt Fitz's hands grab onto her a little late, and the next thing she knew she was smiling down at him from her new vantage point, enjoying his momentary confusion. She wasted no time connecting their mouths in a hungry kiss once again and began moving her hips.

This incredibly sexy little vixen was an interesting and exciting challenge on more than one level and Fitz couldn't be happier to learn that about her. As she sat up on top of him, Fitz once again planted his hands firmly on her hips and watched her move. She had his undivided attention. She also had his heart hammering out of his chest.

Olivia planted her feet firmly on either side of Fitz's thighs and began to raise and lower herself on him as fast as she could. A satisfied smile tipped the edges of her mouth when she heard him encouraging her with colorful language that contained equal mixes of sexy demands and desperate pleas. When his breathing became shallower and he squeezed his eyes closed Olivia guessed he was nearing his peak.

There was no way in hell Fitz was going to reach the finish line without Olivia. In the midst of his euphoric mind set, his left hand began massaging her bundle of nerves. Her body responded immediately, and he watched her breath catch as she tried to continue what she was doing while concentrating on what he was doing. He watched her fall over the edge when he said, "Come on, Rocky."

Her breath was coming out way too fast. Olivia felt like her heart was surely going to stop beating if she didn't get it back to a decent rhythm again soon. When she felt like she could talk without gasping for air, she turned her head to look at him and started laughing. Her looked at her like she had lost her mind and it made her laugh even harder.

Fitz propped his arm on the bed and lay his cheek in his palm with a confused look on his face. "What the hell is so funny?"

Some semblance of calm came over her and Olivia said, "those are not the best words to climax by!" The giggles took over her once again and she couldn't talk.

Fitz grinned at her and then hooked an arm across her belly and pulled her close. "I'm sorry. It seemed to do the trick though?" he replied sarcastically. "I'll try to be more creative for round two."

Her laughter ceased, and she looked intently into his eyes. "Round two? Right now?" She was already excited for it. In between breaths she said, "I'm gonna need a minute."

Fitz chuckled. "Thank god. Me too." He stood up and pulled her into his arms and felt her legs wrap around his waist. As he began walking, he said, "I was thinking the shower would be nice, but the water will turn cold really fast."

"We still have a long way to go until the wild, fast, and rough sex quota is met." She replied with raised eyebrows. "Adding water would be fun."

He leaned into the shower to turn on the water. "After what we just experienced, I don't think we're ever going to meet that quota."

"I hope not" Olivia said before she kissed him passionately as they got under the spray of hot water.


	12. Surprise

**Surprise**

Fitz was in his apartment humming happily as he looped a tie around his neck while looking at himself in the mirror. He had been at work at the hospital for several long grueling hours and he wanted his bed more than anything. But he had made reservations for dinner a few weeks ago and he just couldn't be late.

He lifted the collar of his dress shirt – a light blue one – and began the process of tying his tie. Once finished, he pulled his stiff collar down and glanced at his reflection. His clothes looked great. The blue really set off the color of his eyes. But those blue eyes were tired too. He shrugged at himself. It would have to do.

Pulling on his jacket, Fitz grabbed his keys and cellphone and walked out the door, locking it behind him. He glanced at Olivia's door and grinned until he passed by it. He whistled some happy tune as he stepped outside to hail a cab. Not long after he put his hand up in the air, one came to a stop at the curb. He didn't even have to walk to the intersection. It seemed like this evening was going to be a good one?

He paid the driver when he reached his destination and stepped back outside. The air was warm but didn't hold the full heat of summer just yet. It seemed that spring was going to be a decent one this year and stay relatively cool in the mornings and late evenings but warm up in the afternoons. He smelled flowers somewhere but didn't see any. He should have picked some up. Too late now, he thought to himself.

He eyed the place before going inside. It was a nice looking brick building smack dab between two looming towers. There was sprouting greenery in pots sitting in various places outside. Someone had already set up the tables and chairs outside too now that the weather was warming up some. Pretty maroon tablecloths hung almost to the ground and a lovely centerpiece sat directly in the middle of each round table. The restaurant looked a little out of place next to its much taller neighbors, but that made it seem eager to prove its worth somehow. Fitz thought it was doing just that.

He went inside and waited in a short line to give his name to the hostess and asked for a table for two. Outside if possible. She smiled casually at him and promptly wrote down his name on the log. He let her know he'd be waiting outside to hear his name, and when she offered him a drink while he waited, Fitz declined.

A few minutes later, Fitz heard his last name being called and was met at the door by a smiling young woman holding menus. After giving her his name and explaining the situation about the other person he was having dinner with, he followed her to an outside table. He took his seat and was again asked if he would like a drink. He asked for water and scanned the street for any approaching cabs. When he saw that there weren't any, Fitz gave his attention to the menu in front of him.

A few minutes later, as he was trying to make a decision on what to have for dinner, his water glass was set down in front of him. Fitz looked up into two very familiar brown eyes. A smile came across his face in spite of the confused look on the face of the waitress'. "Hi." he said to her.

"Fitz? What are you doing here?" she asked confused.

"You can't say hi, Olivia?" he asked pleasantly.

"Hi." she said leaning over his table and giving him a clear view of her cleavage. "What are you doing here?"

Her flirty attitude made him chuckle. He knew she would be working tonight. Hell, he'd been banking on it when he made his reservations. He also knew she'd be surprised to see him show up out of the seeming blue while she was at work. "I'm having dinner here."

"At my restaurant?"

He took a large drink of his water, nearly emtpying the glass. "Yup. I've been meaning to come by here for a while now, as you know. Tonight, I decided would be the night. Unfortunately, my dining partner is running embarrassingly late." he explained. He eyed her up and down before adding, "you look beautiful, as always."

She sighed. He looked really handsome all dressed up in a suit. She looked at him longingly and wished that she wasn't working tonight. Forcing herself back to the conversation, she asked, "Your dining partner?"

"Yep. I made reservations quite a while back." He gestured to his glass. "Can I get some more water please? It's really warm out here tonight. Besides, it'll give me a chance to look at your ass for a minute."

Olivia saw her boss watching her talk to Fitz. A smile crossed her face and she replied with, "of course, Sir." She walked away from him, adding an extra sway to her hips, just for him.

He watched her backside, noting the added little wiggle with great interest. He knew exactly what she was doing. When Olivia was out of sight, Fitz pulled out his phone and sent a text message. He got a reply almost immediately, bringing a smile to his face. He put his phone into his jacket pocket as Olivia returned to the table with a pitcher of ice water. She filled his glass to the top and he told her thank you. "Did you get a good look?"

"Mmmhmm. If I knew that I could get away with it, I'd run my hand up the back of your leg and grab a handful of that ass." he said in a quiet voice.

Without moving her head, Olivia scanned the thin crowd. "What's stopping you?"

"I knew I should have come for dinner here long before now." Fitz said grinning.

"We pride ourselves on our amazing customer service." she said with a grin.

Fitz raised his eyebrows and felt his possessive side take over. "Exactly how many times have you offered this kind of amazing service?"

He was cute when he was slightly jealous, Olivia decided. She craned her head skyward and began counting on her fingers. When she got to seven, Olivia glanced down at him. His eyebrows were practically all the way into his hairline. She was having a hard time containing the laughter that threatened to tumble from her mouth. Deciding she was thoroughly enjoying herself, and wanting to press his button, Olivia counted off another finger. He looked like his head was about to explode. Looking into his stormy blue eyes she said, "just one."

Fitz released the breath he had been holding as he waited for her answer. When her words caught up with his brain he quietly threatened, "you'll pay for that later on."

Olivia smiled and patted his cheek. "Stop it. You're scaring me."

Fitz licked his lips slowly and watched as Olivia's eyes were riveted to his tongue. When it was back inside his mouth he said, "we'll see how confident and playful you are when I have you flat on your back and screaming my name at the top of your lungs."

Olivia squatted down beside his chair and watched his eyes darken as she reached down between his legs. "We'll see who has who screaming."

He flicked his gaze up and muttered, "if that guy over there is your boss, he's got a horrified look on his face."

Olivia stood up, holding a pen between her fingers and loudly said, "I apologize for that, Sir. I dropped my pen under your chair."

Fitz had no words for his little quick thinker. He merely grinned up at her. "He bought it and left."

"You know, if you were serious about your earlier offer, I'm in a mood to take you up on it right now."

"Someone could see us." He reminded her.

"There is hardly anyone out here yet and you're in the corner. I miss feeling your hands on me." she said looking at his large hands.

Fitz wasn't one to question her logic. She turned to stand beside him, facing the same direction as he was. She pointed to something in the distance and began giving him some type of directions as his right hand slowly navigated its way up her smooth leg. He couldn't stop the sound that came out of him at the feel of her. When he got to the top of her leg, he felt the end of her sheer black stocking.

"Thigh highs" she whispered before going back to her directions in a louder voice.

Holy fuck! Thigh highs? Keeping his eyes trained to wherever she was pointing, Fitz whispered, "you're trying to kill me, aren't you?" His hand paused for a moment before going up even higher on her bare skin. He felt her toned ass and knew exactly what that meant!

She glanced down at him and said, "I was planning to kill you when I got home later on. Now works just as well though don't you think?"

"Do you ever wear underwear?" He asked.

"Do you really care right now?" she asked with a grin.

"God, no!" he groaned. Fitz could feel his lower half stirring with want as he looked up at her. The need to have her was a strong one. He thought of possible ways to rectify the situation right where they were but came up with nothing short of dragging her into a restroom. She was giving him those fuck me eyes she gave him all the time, and the thought of going into a restroom suddenly became a viable possibility.

He was about to suggest it when a voice said, "Fitzgerald? Why the hell is your hand up that young woman's skirt?" Fitz cleared his throat and dropped his hand immediately. He got to his feet and went around the table to pull out the chair on the opposite side.

Olivia looked like she was about to throw up or pass out for a minute. She quickly stepped away from the table and smoothed her skirt down. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She smiled politely and said, "I was just giving him directions to the Booth Theater, ma'am." Olivia tried.

"I don't know why, dear, he hates Broadway." the unknown woman said.

Fitz watched the conversation between the women like a ping pong game. He had a grin on his face the entire time. "He asked for directions." Olivia explained.

"That's not true. You offered, if I remember correctly." Fitz supplied. He watched a horrified and embarrassed expression cross Olivia's face.

"Fitzgerald, what are you doing to this poor girl?"

"Keeping her on her toes."

"I'm very sorry to have interrupted your dinner. I have other tables to check on. Have a good evening." Olivia said as she began walking away.

Fitz waited until she was a few feet away before calling out, "Miss? Come you come back here for a moment please."

Olivia did not want to go back to that table, but she had no other option. She wondered why he was calling her back? "Yes, Sir?" she asked.

He put his arm around her tiny waist as Olivia looked at him with surprised wide eyes.

He gestured to the person across the table from him. "Livvie, let me introduce you to Suzanne Grant. My mother. Mom, this is Olivia Pope. The nice girl I told you about."

Olivia's eyes grew wider somehow. And then they went to slits before she turned them onto Fitz. "What the hell were you doing? Trying to embarrass me in front of your mother by putting your hand up my skirt and acting innocent of all wrong doing? Really, Fitz? That's so wrong on so many levels! And rude! And another thing..."

Now it was Fitz who had huge eyes. This hadn't gone quite the way he planned it to. As Olivia ranted loud enough for anyone to hear, he tried to shrink into his chair and ignore the looks the few other patrons were shooting his way. Lesson learned. Don't fuck with Liv while she's at work!

Olivia stopped her tirade and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. Fitz looked at it and asked,"What does that mean?"

"It means get up so I can sit down!" she explained.

"What if your boss sees you sitting down at one of the tables when you're supposed to be working?" he asked.

"Then you'll tell him that I twisted my ankle while taking your order and that you're a doctor and suggested I sit down for a minute. That's what!" she stated.

Fitz quickly vacated his seat and watched Olivia sit down in it. She grinned at Suzanne and Suzanne grinned right back. "Well played, Olivia. You have him so well trained." Suzanne said with a chuckle.

"He's a handful at times." Olivia said, calmly taking a sip of Fitz's water. "But I'm sure you're well aware of that since you raised him."

Fitz scowled silently at both of them.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you my dear girl. I have to say, as much as my son has gone on about your beauty, he didn't do you justice at all I'm afraid."

Now Olivia did look up at Fitz. He was flicking his eyes back and forth between the two women who meant the most in the world to him. "He didn't huh? That's a damn shame. Looks like he's buying me a new bag to make up for that?"

Fitz opened his mouth to argue with that very expensive reasoning, but his mother's chuckle cut him off. "I wouldn't if I were you, son. You are well matched with this one. She won't take any shit from you. And she shouldn't have to."

Olivia moved to the edge of the chair and patted the other half of it, finally inviting Fitz to join her.

He sat down, put his arm around Olivia, and kissed her temple as Suzanne looked on with a smile. "Sorry, Liv. I was just trying to have some fun."

"We'll have all kinds of fun tomorrow when you're buying me a brand new bag too." she said patting his cheek.

"I suppose I deserve that." he shrugged and took a sip of his water. "I do owe both of you an apology though. I didn't mean for you to catch me red handed like that, mom. Your text said you were ten minutes away."

"It's my job to keep you on YOUR toes, my boy." Suzanne chuckled.

Fitz shook his head back and forth as he chuckled. "Mission accomplished." He looked over at Olivia, pecked her lips, and added, "And I didn't mean to embarrass you the first time meeting my mother."

"What was the plan?" Olivia asked as Suzanne watched them.

"To catch you off guard at work while I had dinner with her, but not tell you who she was until your jealous side reared its ugly head and demanded to know who she was. Then I'd introduce the two of you to each other." he explained patiently.

"You know that is the most insane thing I've ever heard, right?" Olivia asked laughing at him.

"I quite agree with Olivia. That plan was doomed from its inception." Suzanne explained. "I'm twenty five years older than you are, darling. There is no way this intelligent girl would have believed that ridiculous pile of horse shit."

"Mom!" Fitz chuckled. "Language!"

"You're kidding, right?" Olivia asked him.

"We are all adults." Suzanne replied smoothly. "I am very glad that I finally got to meet you, Olivia. Fitz never stops talking about you. I do believe that you have a special place in his heart and mean quite a great deal to him?"

Olivia's smile was ginormous. She looked at the man beside her, bumped shoulders with him, and asked, "is that right?" He remained quiet and simply smiled back at her before emptying his water glass. Olivia's eyes were drawn to an angry face across the growing busier outside dining area. She got to her feet and explained. "I've got to go before my boss blows a head gasket. It was wonderful to meet you, Suzanne. Let's you and I have lunch together sometime while doctor daring is out saving the world." She glanced up and saw that her boss had gone back inside the restaurant. She leaned down and quickly kissed Fitz. "I'll deal with you for all of this later on."

He grinned up at her. "Can't wait."

The last thing Olivia heard as she walked away was Fitz's mother ask him, "who is doctor daring?" It kept her endlessly entertained for the rest of the evening.


	13. Think About It

**Think About It**

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. Fitz and Olivia were lying side by side on the couch in his apartment with the tv on. He had his arm draped across Olivia's waist and he would press warm kisses to her cheek every so often. He didn't have much interest in what was on television, but he was enjoying a peaceful afternoon cuddling with her. There was nothing in particular on anyways. Some funny movie from a decade ago. Every so often one of them would laugh out loud. Other than their laughter and the sounds coming from the tv, it was a quiet day.

And then the noise began.

At first, Olivia and Fitz dismissed the sounds coming from out in the hall. But as they grew louder and closer to Fitz's front door, the voices couldn't be ignored.

"Come on! Pick up the slack! What's wrong with you?" someone laughed.

"I'm going to drop it is what's wrong with me! Asshole! I'm not one of your muscular friends. My arms are basically toothpicks! Why did I agree to the stupid idea for us to move in together anyways?"

Olivia squinted at Fitz and they both got up and went to his door. He opened it and they were greeted with the sight of two people holding a couch and screaming at each other.

"Because you love me and can't live without me. And now that I know you're a bitch on moving day, we are never moving again!" the guy said with a grin.

"So, we're gonna live here for the rest of our lives?" she asked sarcastically.

"Uhhhhh, well" he stammered.

"Do you want some help?" Fitz offered.

The woman turned her head and smiled really big. A man with muscles. "That'd be amazing."

"Here. Let me take that." Fitz told the female. He got his hands under the bottom of the navy and cream striped sofa and she stepped out of the way. "Where are we taking it?"

The male jerked his head towards the apartment on the other side of Fitz's door and grunted, "in there." Silently, the two of them carried the heavy piece of furniture into the apartment as the two women watched.

"I'm Olivia. I'm your other neighbor. My apartment is right there." she said pointing at her door.

"Oh. Nice to meetcha. I'm Hannah. The guy carrying the couch is my boyfriend, Patrick." she said, shaking Olivia's hand. "This is our first place together."

"Awwww. That's cute. How long have the two of you been together?" Olivia asked.

"Mmm, a little over a year now." Hannah replied as she watched the two men easily get the couch through the narrow front door. "How about the two of you? Married? Living together? What's the deal?"

"We just started dating actually. But it's going really well." Olivia answered with a grin.

"Nice!" Hannah raised her hand and Olivia gave her a high five and the two of them giggled in the hall. "Come on. Let's go show them the best place to put that sofa. Otherwise, Patrick is likely to put it out on the fire escape."

"Men are helpless creatures. If you're living with one, you should know that up front." Olivia chuckled. She followed her new neighbor into the apartment directly across the hall from her own. As she looked around, Olivia realized the floor plan was exactly like her own apartment. "This looks familiar."

"Exactly like yours, huh?" Hannah asked. "That's actually good to know. I'll know where I'm going when I come over to complain about Patrick or borrow something."

"It's gonna be great to have another girl around here." Olivia said grinning.

Patrick and Fitz were enjoying a good natured conversation in the empty living room just as the two women had been out in the hall. They were both bent at the waist laughing heartily when Olivia and Hannah found them in the living room. The sofa was taking up space in the middle of the floor, crookedly sitting where it had been deposited by four tired male hands. Hannah winked at Olivia and said to Patrick, "that's not where I want the sofa to go."

"I tell you what, Hannah banana." Patrick began in a tired voice. "This thing is heavy as hell. I didn't feel like moving it more than once, and I made the executive decision to leave it in the middle of the floor until you came in here and told me exactly where to put it."

The short brunette grinned at him and put her arms around his neck. "You're not allowed to make executive decisions anymore."

He grinned back at her, putting his arms around her waist. "I'm not?"

"Uh uh. We're a team now. We do everything together."

"We are better together at certain things together." Patrick murmured. Hannah giggled and gently swatted his chest, clearly loving his playfulness.

Fitz shot a bewildered look to Olivia and flicked his eyes to the door repeatedly. It took her a moment to catch on to what he was trying to non verbally say, but when she did, Olivia cleared her throat and said, "we're gonna go now. It was really nice meeting the two of you. The four of us should go to dinner together when you're settled in here."

"That's a great idea!" Hannah chirped. "Thank you for the help. You saved us from killing each other. It was really great to meet you both."

"Thanks again." Patrick said, and released Hannah long enough to shake hands with Fitz.

Olivia smiled politely and she and Fitz left the apartment.

An hour later, Fitz and Olivia were still glued to the sofa watching yet another old comedy when a knock sounded on the door. Neither one of them moved and the knocking sounded again. "You gonna get that?" Fitz asked.

"It's YOUR apartment." Olivia reminded him with a giggle.

"You're here more than you're at your own place." he replied with a superior smile. "You could get it?"

"Property is nine tenths of the law, buddy. You pay the rent. It's your place. That makes whoever is on the other side of the door your visitor." She shot him her own version of a superior smile and flicked her eyes back to the television.

"How do you know so much about the law all of a sudden?" he asked, getting up.

"Because I went to law school."

"What?" He asked, clearly startled by this news. "When did that happen?"

The knocking became more persistent.

"I think you'd better get the door. Whoever is out there knows that you're at home and isn't going away." Her favorite part of the movie was coming up and Fitz was going to ruin it by talking through the whole thing. Olivia wasn't having that.

"Fine. But we aren't done talking about this, Livvie."

"Of course we're not." she muttered.

Fitz pulled the door open to find Hannah standing on the other side of it. "Hey. Do you have a screwdriver we can borrow? We forgot to get one. Well, Patrick did. That's a guy thing, right?" She glanced over his shoulder and spotted the television. "Ooooooh, Old School! I love this movie!" She brushed past Fitz and found Olivia sitting on the couch. "Scoot over! The best part is right here."

"Right! I just need three minutes of no talking so I can enjoy..." Olivia began.

"Shhhhh! You're gonna ruin it by talking!" Hannah whined.

Olivia giggled.

Fitz stood there watching the two women laugh at two men chasing each other around a college campus beating each other up. It wasn't that funny in his opinion. He was still stuck on Olivia's statement of going to law school. He had to figure out how to get rid of Hannah politely so that he could talk to Olivia about it. He had a feeling he would need to wait until the movie was over in order to keep the peace. Luckily, there was only ten minutes left. That meant thirty with all the commercials. If you can't beat em, join em. He went to the other side of the sofa and plopped down beside Olivia.

With five minutes left in the movie, another knock was heard at the door. "Hannah? You had better not be in there." Patrick threatened.

Fitz grinned and silently thanked his new friend for his impeccable timing. He kissed the side of Olivia's head and said, "I know. Nine tenths of the law" before getting up and going to the door. He opened it and said, "you're woman is in there. She's watching a movie with us. It'll be over any minute, and then she has to go."

Patrick strode inside with determination. He made the mistake of looking up at the tv. "Old School. Cool!" He sat down beside Hannah and grabbed a handful of popcorn like he had done it a thousand times before.

Fitz eyed the back of their three heads and decided he had to do something or the four of them would become part of the couch by the end of the day. He not so patiently waited for the movie to end, rolling his eyes dramatically at every commercial, and then turned off the television once it was over.

Olivia looked over her shoulder and said, "Fitz? Step Brothers is coming on next."

"That's another great Saturday afternoon movie. Can we stay, Patrick?"

Fitz had no intentions of leaving the decision to Patrick. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude here, but Olivia and I have something serious to talk about."

"We do?" she asked.

"Uhhh, yea. Law school." he replied.

"You went to law school? That's so great." Hannah encouraged.

"You can't just mention the fact that you went to law school but aren't a lawyer without some sort of explanation. I'd like to talk about it."

"Ohhhhh." Hannah replied.

"There's nothing to talk about." Olivia said flatly.

"The fact that you said that is exactly why we need to talk about it. How about you guys go back to your place and finish up whatever it is you were doing?"

"We need a screwdriver though." Hannan said.

"You still haven't gotten that?" Patrick asked. He pulled her close, nuzzling her neck for a moment and said, "you're a terrible helper."

Hannah shrugged with a grin. "I got sidetracked by Will Ferrell."

Fitz left the room and came back a moment later with a small bag. He unzipped it, revealing the small very basic assortment of tools he owned. "You guys finish whatever you were doing at your place while Liv and I have our discussion. We'll meet back over here at four o'clock for The Other Guys and..."

"Don't you dare say Thai food." Olivia warned.

"How do you feel about Mexican food?" Fitz asked Patrick and Hannan. He poked his tongue out at Olivia while he waited for them to answer.

"Mexican food and Mark Wahlberg. Yes please." Hannah said grinning.

"I thought you liked Will Ferrell?" Patrick asked.

"Not when Marky Mark is around." she admitted with a giggle. Olivia reached a hand up and Hannah hit it with hers.

"Whatever." Fitz said impatiently. "Go away for a few hours."

Once they were gone, Fitz and Olivia sat down on the couch, facing each other. "You're not gonna make this weird, are you?" she asked.

"No. Not intentionally anyways." The whole thing was weird. Olivia went to law school but wasn't a lawyer. Now he had to talk about it without being weird. This was going to be a challenge. So much for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

"Great. What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Did you finish law school?" That was an important question, Fitz thought.

"I did."

"How long ago was that?"

Olivia glanced up at the ceiling as if the answer was up there. She brought her gaze back down to his and said, "about two years ago."

"So, why are you a waitress at a fancy restaurant instead of a lawyer right now?"

"Because I failed the bar exam. Twice." She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was going and she wasn't sure she was up for it.

Now it made a little more sense to him. "And you're afraid you'll fail it again? Is that it?"

"That's part of it. The other part is the endless studying, the cost of studying, as well as how much it is to take the damned test in the first place. I make good tips at work. I'm doing okay right where I am." she said defensively.

"Are you happy though? Working as a waitress? Living in this building?" He knew she might be happy, but not fulfilled.

"Dating you." she added with a grin.

"No one likes a smartass." he said, digging his fingers into her ribs and making her shriek loudly.

"Stop it!" Olivia said, scooting away from him to the end of the couch. "I know what you mean. And yea, I'm happy right where..."

"Because you know I could help you study. You'd be so prepared, you'd kick this tests ass. Then you could get a new job. Move into a much better building."

"Get a new boyfriend..."

"Have you ever seen the movie Fatal Attraction?" he asked.

"Yea. Michael Douglas and Glenn Close?" Olivia didn't understand why he brought up that particular movie.

"I will boil a bunny." he threatened with a grin.

"Awww, don't say that. That's mean." Olivia whined.

Fitz crawled towards her and wiggled his eyebrows saying, "I'm not going to be ignored, Dan." He had her pinned underneath him with little effort as she giggled.

"Shut up! That movie was super creepy."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "No new boyfriend for you. You're stuck with me. Hashtag sorry not sorry."

Olivia giggled louder but put her arms around his neck. "you're such a dork sometimes."

"Yea, but I'm your dork. Say you'll let me help you study for the bar. I promise to make it interesting." he said with a grin.

"I promise to think about it. It's a huge undertaking, Fitz. You have to be ready for it. It takes a while to just get prepared to take the bar exam." Olivia was getting a little excited just thinking about it. But she also knew it was a lot of work and sacrifice too. Fitz didn't have the best work schedule to be in a place to help her study all the time. She would have to weigh the pros and cons of the situation when she was alone and then make a decision.

"That's good enough for me." He had her thinking about it and that was a starting place. Fitz could very easily picture Olivia as a lawyer, kicking ass in a courtroom full of people. She would be amazing. He had no plans of letting this pass. She would have to come to the realization that she wanted it on her own, but he would be there to encourage her and help in any way that he could when she did finally realize it.


	14. Unexpected

**Unexpected**

Fitz was just about to finish his shift at the hospital. He glanced outside and noticed that the sky had begun to get dark. He glanced at his watch and noticed that it was well past quitting time. He typed in some notes on a patient file and was walking the iPad back to the nurse's station when he noticed four familiar fresh faces coming his way. It was his favorite nurses. "It's about time all of you showed up to do some work around here."

"And it's about time for you to go home and get some sleep." one of the nurses said.

"You're cranky at the end of your shift." another one said sarcastically.

"It's been a long ten hours." he said on a yawn.

Olivia walked through the front doors of the hospital at that moment. She spotted Fitz and sent him a smile as she made her way to the nurse's station to stand beside him. "Hey. Sorry I'm late. Are you ready to go?"

He put his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "Yup. I was just getting verbally abused by the nurses first."

"Not these nurses?" Olivia gestured to the women standing nearby and winked at them.

"These women aren't just nurses. They are my work wives whenever I'm on the night shift." Fitz answered.

"But you wanted your work wives to get these doughnuts, right?" Olivia brought out a big box with a dozen of the soft round pastries inside. "You didn't change your mind, did you?"

"Now that I think about it, those are actually for the nurses on the third floor." Fitz told her. He took the box off the desk.

"Like hell they are." one of them said, propping her hand on her hip.

"I know he didn't just say what I think I heard him say?" another one said, shooting him a look.

"There's the elevators." Mama nurse said pointing to them.

Fitz gave her a genuine smile. He knew she didn't mean it. "I've missed you too." He put the big box back on top of their desk and with a big smile said, "What kind of man would I be if I didn't take care of my favorite nurses?"

The three women shot each other knowing smiles as they shook their heads back and forth before turning their attention back to him and pouring it on thick. "You're such a good man, doctor Grant."

"You need to give my home husband pointers" another one said as she grabbed a chocolate frosted round pastry and headed off.

"Oh wow. No wonder you love being at work so much." Olivia chuckled.

"What?" Fitz asked innocently.

"I know exactly what you're doing." Mama nurse said with a chuckle.

"I can't bring you all a little treat at work without ulterior motives?" He began scrolling through the patient list on the iPad.

"You think you're treating us, but in reality, you're treating yourself." she said. He was no more reading what he was looking at than she was the Pope's sister.

"Uh oh. I think she's got your number, Fitz. This oughtta be good.." Olivia said, propping her elbow up on the desk.

"How do you figure that?" He had missed working with her and the crazy conversations they had.

"You bring doughnuts to work, which the nurses love. But in return they don't bother you as much with trivial things. They keep you better updated on patients than any other doctor in this hospital, and they respect you more too."

"Ahhh, you're forgetting the most important part."

"I can hardly wait to hear this." she said dryly.

"I'm their favorite." Fitz answered with a grin.

"Oh boy." Olivia muttered.

"It must be exhausting being that amazing?" she said sarcastically.

"I constantly need a nap." he chuckled.

"And on that note, I think we should go home." Olivia said chuckling.

"Get away from my nurse's station and go enjoy your evening." Mama nurse said shooing him away.

"You said go away but all I heard was that you missed me." Fitz set the iPad on its dock and sent the nurse a smile and a wink. "Let's go, Livvie."

"Nice to see you again, Julia." Olivia said before turning around and heading for the door with Fitz.

"That boy is as crazy as hell" mama nurse muttered to herself.

Once they were outside Fitz asked, "where do you want to go for dinner tonight?"

"Not the restaurant where I work." Olivia replied.

"But I had such a nice time the last time I was there." he said with a smirk and reached a hand down to the back of her thigh.

"Come to think of it, I did get this really nice bag out of that visit." she patted her now favorite bag with a huge proud smile. "I changed my mind. We can go there for dinner if you want to?"

"You've gotten spoiled to the lap of luxury I see. It's back to the yellow tables and grinning clown at McDonalds for you." he said grinning.

"They have the best fries. You won't hear me complaining." she replied.

"Are you serious? Because I am craving a Big Mac now for some reason."

"Maybe you're pregnant?" she giggled.

"Maybe I shouldn't have you come pick me up at work anymore?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and said, "I am serious, by the way. I love McDonalds."

"Really?"

"Really. I'm gonna want a McFlurry too, just so you know."

Fitz scowled at her. "You think I'm made out of money or something?"

"You're a doctor. So...yea!" she laughed.

They came upon the golden arches a few minutes later and went inside and placed their orders. Olivia looked around while they waited. The ordering area wasn't bustling with business, but there was a group of teenagers as well as a family of five waiting for their food. A little boy who looked to be around four smiled and waved to Olivia. She grinned back and waved to him.

Their number was called out a few minutes later and the two of them went to sit down and eat. Olivia grabbed one of his fries, even though hers were right in front of her and popped the end of it into her mouth. "These things are so good! Better than any other fast food fries."

Fitz opened the box to his big mac and inhaled deeply. "They are pretty damned good. And stop eating my fries. Eat your own!" he said pointing at her red box of the golden yellow sticks. "I wanna know who was the first person who thought that thousand island dressing on a burger would taste so good?" Fitz took a large bite and groaned happily. "Sokjfghjdhgood."

"I don't know what the hell you just said over all that food. It's rude to talk with your mouth full. Do I need to call your mother and tell her you're being rude?" Olivia asked with a little smirk.

Fitz carefully chewed and swallowed his food and then wiped his mouth. "Go ahead. But while you're telling her all about the rude things I do around you, make sure you tell her about all of the rude things I do TO you too." He winked lustily at her before taking a sip of his soft drink.

Olivia chose to ignore him and continued happily eating her fries.

His phone chimed, and Fitz said, "it's the hospital. I'm sorry, but I've got to take it."

She listened to him tell someone at the hospital about somebody who was apparently in the hospital. Once the doctor jargon began, Liv tuned him out. She picked up her cup and started drinking from the straw and glancing around the room as she did so.

There were a group of six or seven teenaged boys being loud, laughing at each other around a table covered with empty fast food boxes and balled up napkins. They were filled with the exuberance of youth and it made Olivia smile. She listened as they loudly cheered for their friend who had apparently asked a certain girl to go to the prom with him as he told them the story of how he had done it.

There was a white haired couple who were sitting side by side in a booth. They were holding hands on top of the table and ate their food with little conversation. There may not have been any words spoken between them, but the loving looks they gave each other spoke volumes. They were in their own little world and seemed to be very happy being there together.

Olivia noticed the girl working the drive through window. She wore a big smile for anyone to clearly see. Olivia watched as she served a few customers who sat in their cars on the other side of the window. The girl chatted with the people she served and had one woman laughing along with her. They gave her a big smile and said thank you before driving off with their bag of food.

Some of the kids that were working behind the counter talked with each other when the line of people had been waited on. Some of them cleaned. One of them did nothing at all, but stare at the clock. Olivia followed the kid's gaze to the clock on the wall. She could relate. Some nights at her own job she spent clock watching. Others, she was kept so busy she all but forgot where the clocks were even located.

Do something you love to do, Olivia thought as she looked at him. She should take her own advice. Working as a waitress was not her goal in life. It wasn't where she saw herself a few years ago either. Fitz hadn't let up about helping her study for the bar exam. He had been leaving little hints here and there in their conversations. She had picked up on all of them but had said nothing. Now, though, watching this teenaged boy, probably hating where he was at the moment, made her realize that she didn't want to stay where she was. She wanted to move forward with her life. She wanted to finish what she started and become a lawyer. She couldn't wait to tell Fitz.

Olivia looked over at him with a huge smile. He was still on the phone, but she could tell that the call was winding down. The conversation had turned to trivial things, but he kept his eyes locked with hers. "I think I'm gonna do it." she said nodding and feeling immensely proud of herself.

"Hold on a sec." Fitz said into the phone. He hit the mute button and put the phone on the table. "What did you just say and were you talking about what I think you were talking about?" He was smiling now too.

Olivia's face turned to a horrified look and she forcefully said, "Oh my god. NO!"

Fitz watched her scramble to her feet and sprint away with wide eyes. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and followed her. "Liv? Where in the hell are you going? Would you slow dow..."

Olivia squatted down on the floor beside a table where a woman was holding onto her small son and crying. It was the same little boy who had smiled and waved to her while they were ordering their food. Right now though, he was wide eyed and trying to gag as little noises came from him.

"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP! HE'S CHOKING! OH GOD!"

"You've got to help him, Fitz. HELP HIM NOW!" she shouted.

Fitz physically moved her out of the way in order to get to the boy. He looked at the teary eyed mother and said, "it's ok. I'm a doctor." She quickly moved and Fitz asked, "what's his name?"

"Brandon." the mother said on a sob.

"Brandon? Are you okay?" He knew it was a stupid question, but it had to be asked.

Brandon wildly shook his head back and forth with his bug eyes and put his hands on his neck.

"Someone call 911." Fitz said. He got behind Brandon and struck him between the shoulder blades with the heel of his hand. The boy's parents, as well as Olivia, were watching on with eyes almost as wide as the boys. He struck the boy a second time, but nothing happened. Fitz felt like the two of them were stuck in molasses and that everything was moving much slower than it really was.

"Please help him." The mother tearfully pleaded.

Everyone inside the restaurant had stopped what they were doing, and all eyes were nervously glued to Fitz and Brandon. Fitz struck him between the shoulder blades once again. He knew after four or five strikes, he would have to start doing the Heimlich maneuver on the boy. He hoped it wouldn't come to that though.

Brandon was still grasping at his throat, still not breathing on his own, and still had those wide eyes. So, Fitz struck him for the fourth time. Suddenly, something came flying from the little boy's mouth and he began to cry.

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief.

Brandon's mother cried harder and gathered her son into her arms, asking him if he was alright. He nodded and everyone inside clapped and cheered loudly as the EMT's came running into the restaurant and knelt beside the family, who were all sitting on the floor at this point.

Fitz and Olivia stood up and she hugged him tightly as tears streamed down her face. "That was amazing. YOU are amazing." She released him and reached for his hand when Brandon's mother launched herself into Fitz's arms, holding him tightly and repeatedly saying thank you over and over.

He hugged the mother for a moment as Olivia watched with a smile. Fitz told her "you're welcome. I'm glad he's okay now." She released him and went back to her family.

Olivia and Fitz went back to their seats and sat down wearily. "Wasn't expecting that." he said.

"Yea. Not your typical dinner at McDonalds huh?" She picked up a fry and brought it to her mouth before realizing that she was no longer hungry and dropped it on her tray unceremoniously. "Can we go home please?"

Fitz reached for her hands with a smile and said, "you were about to tell me something before all the ruckus started."

"Of course, you remember that small insignificant thing." she said rolling her eyes.

"What was it? I'm sorry. My brains a little bit jumbled up right now. I can't remember what it was that you said."

She smiled in spite of herself and shrugged. "I've decided that I'm going to retake the bar exam.

"Heyyyyyy!" he exclaimed.

She pointed a finger at him. "But you're going to help me study. I mean it, Fitz."

"That's not insignificant." He stood up and pulled her into his arms. "That's amazing! I'm really proud of you, Livvie. That is great news!"

She didn't want to worry about how hard it was going to be. Or how much it would cost. Or the fear of possibly not passing the bar for the third time. Olivia let herself be held by this man who already meant so much to her and reveled in his positivity. She grinned and held on tighter. "If you're half as good at studying as you are at saving little kids lives, I don't have anything to worry about now do I?"

Fitz let go of her waist and held her hand instead. They headed for the door and watched the ambulance drive off when they got there. "Brandon is gonna be fine. And so will you. Doctor daring delivers results. That's a guarantee!"

"I am the only one who is allowed to call you doctor daring. It just doesn't sound right coming out of your own mouth." she advised.

"Fine. You know, I'd really like to hear you scream that during sex though. What's the possibility of that happening any time soon?"

"Slim. You said you'd help me study for the bar so sex is going to be low on the priority list until I pass it."

Fitz stopped walking. "Whoa! I did not sign up for THAT! You are going to pass it when you take it or you're going to stay a waitress for the rest of your natural born life!"

"Wow. Tell me how you really feel."

Fitz chuckled. "I'm just kidding. Mostly. We'll get through this together though."

"That's the right answer." She said, as she laid her head on his shoulder and they continued home.


	15. Meaningful Conversations

**Meaningful Conversations**

Olivia's cell phone chimed signaling an incoming call. It was precisely ten oh six in the morning. She was sipping on a hot cup of coffee at her kitchen table while pouring over several thick law books. She didn't have to look at the face of her phone to see who was calling. She already knew. Just like she knew the reason why she was getting the call too. She slid her finger across the face of her phone and happily said, "Hey, mom."

"Happy birthday, Olivia."

"You're so punctual." Olivia giggled.

"Don't mock me. If there's one thing I know, and will remember forever, it's the exact moment you entered this world."

"I love getting this phone call every year. It always makes me smile. And makes me look back at what I've accomplished since I've gotten the last phone call from you on my birthday."

"Sometimes a year is a long time, baby. Other times it takes forever."

"I think part of the reason it's that way is our age." Olivia said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was a kid, waiting a whole year for my birthday took forever. The older I get though, the faster it seems to come back around."

"It's not just like that with birthdays. Just about everything happens too damn fast the older you get. Hell, I blink and it's Christmas all over again." She laughed.

"I don't even want to think about Christmas! I'm too busy for it to be Christmastime just yet. Besides, spring is finally getting under way." Olivia commented. She got up and made herself another cup of coffee.

"What has you so busy these days? You got a new boyfriend?"

The thought of Fitz made her smile. "Actually, I do. But that's not what's keeping me busy. At least not the only thing keeping me busy."

"Uh uh! We'll come back to that busyness in a minute. I want to hear all about this man. What's his name? What's he like? How'd you meet him? I need details." her mother chuckled.

"His name is Fitz and he is my neighbor. He's a doctor at one of the hospitals not too far away." Olivia decided that she would spare her mother the real details of how she originally met Fitz and simply said, "we met a while back."

"A doctor? Wow! That's great, Liv. Is he good looking?"

"I don't date ugly guys, mom. Of course, he's good looking."

"Are you happy with him? Or is he just someone who keeps you busy?"

"He makes me very happy. He's funny and great to be around. We have great conversations and do fun things together. I'm a priority in his life, mom. That's rare and I'm glad I finally have that."

"It sounds to me like you might be falling in love with him?"

Olivia thought about her mother's question. "I think I am. It's funny. I'm not scared of it at all."

"That's how you know it's real, Olivia. Don't overthink it or analyze it. Just go with it." her mother advised.

"Just go with it?"

"What does your gut instinct tell you?" her mother asked.

She thought about that for a moment. "That he could be the one. Like THE ONE."

"Trust your gut."

Olivia smiled. "Trust my gut" she echoed.

"It's never wrong."

"Thanks, mom."

"So, what is this thing that's keeping you busy?"

"I'm studying to take the bar exam again." Olivia wondered what her mother thought of that.

"It's about time!"

"What? I didn't know you cared that much about what I did?"

"Of course I do! I know you aren't happy at that waitressing job. I mean, you might be happy, but not as happy as you would be practicing law. I'm really glad you decided to give that test another try. You're gonna pass it this time." her mother stated confidently. "I just know it."

"You really think so?" Olivia asked.

"Absolutely. Now, I don't wanna keep you on the phone. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday."

"Don't wait until this time next year to call me again. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Olivia. Have a good day and make that man take you out and treat you nice."

"Bye, mom." Olivia chuckled. She ended the call and put her phone back on the table. That phone call seemed kinda normal. It had been a while since the two of them had shared a non-confrontational conversation. Maybe this age thing was a blessing in disguise? She had no intentions of telling Fitz it was her birthday at all. She wasn't a kid anymore and didn't need a fuss to be made over the day she was born. It was just another day. She had much more important things to do today. Like getting ready for the bar exam. Olivia went back to her studying without another thought about it being her birthday.

Hours later, Fitz was winding down his shift at the hospital. It had been a long day but oddly enough he didn't feel the drop dead exhaustion he normally felt. He'd think about that after he got something to eat and eight hours of sleep.

His favorite nurses were getting settled at their desk, going over patient information and happily chatting amongst each other. He yawned and greeted them with a sleepy smile. "Are you going to be able to stay awake long enough to celebrate tonight?" one of them asked him.

Fitz's eyes went around the room and then landed back on the woman who had asked the question. "Celebrate? Celebrate what exactly?"

"You're kidding, right?" she asked.

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about?" He replied.

"Don't you know what today is?" she asked.

"Thursday?"

"The date?" she clarified.

"The two of you are making me tired. Tell him what today is already! Damn!" mama nurse said.

"Today is Olivia's birthday."

"What?" three people said in unison.

"No, it's not." he said confidently. Then he became unsure of himself. "Is it?"

"It is."

"Of all the people in the world, how do you happen to know that information?" Fitz asked with narrow eyes.

"Because I helped her the night she broke her arm. I helped her fill out the paperwork. And because I have a photographic memory. It serves me well in this job that I love."

Fitz grabbed one of the iPads and pulled up Olivia's file, followed by her personal information. "Holy shit." he muttered. "It really is her birthday."

"She never told you when her birthday is?"

Fitz shook his head back and forth. "Never." He wondered why Olivia had never so much as spoke a peep about her birthday? Maybe she was shy about it? Maybe she thought they hadn't been together long enough to warrant celebrating it? Both of those reasons were crazy, he decided. His face broke into a grin and he asked her, "Do you know how much grief you just saved me from?"

"What are you gonna do?" she asked with a grin.

"Quick! What does a birthday girl have to have?" he asked pointing to Maureen.

"A cake."

"Yes! And?" he pointed to Lori.

"And a present."

"Yes! What else?" he pointed to mama nurse.

"You'd better get that beautiful girl some beautiful flowers."

"Great ideas! All of them! That's why all of you are my favorites!" One by one he picked up their hands and kissed them. "I gotta go. Things to buy. A birthday girl to surprise! Thank you, ladies."

"Take lots of pictures!" one of them called out to his retreating back.

"Ten bucks says he forgets the flowers" mama nurse muttered in an unimpressed tone.

He had a gift he knew she'd love, a small round cake, and a huge arrangement of roses. He was feeling pretty proud of himself for covering all the bases that had been suggested to him at work. When he got off the elevator, he set everything down to take a picture as proof that he did, in fact, listen to the work wives. He'd show it to them another day. Today was about Livvie. He picked everything back up and headed for his destination.

Olivia was in a really good mood. She had spent a couple of hours studying in complete silence, she had cleaned her entire apartment from top to bottom, and she had gotten her laundry done. She was feeling very accomplished. She had some music playing in her apartment and she danced from room to room as she put her clothes and towels away.

Fitz used the key she had given him and quietly let himself into her apartment. He immediately heard the music mixed in with Olivia's voice and it brought a smile to his face. He was about to call out her name and surprise her, when he caught a glimpse of her happily dancing into the kitchen with a handful of dish towels. He concealed himself as best he could and silently watched his little woman complete this menial task. He smiled as he watched her. She seemed to have had a good day and he was glad to know it. She deserved to have nothing but good days. Fitz casually walked into the apartment calling her name like he had done dozens of times before.

"Oh. Hey. I didn't hear you come in." She went to him and kissed him. "How was your shift?"

"It was good. I learned something new and that's always a good thing."

Her eyebrows went up. "That is a good thing. Are you hungry?"

He looked around her apartment. "Did you cook something?"

A look of embarrassment crossed her face. "I meant to, but I've been studying off and on all day and time just got away from me somehow." She went to the fridge and opened the door. "I can whip you up something real quick though. How do you feel abooouuuuut eggs?"

Fitz went to where she stood and pulled her into his arms for a hug. He smiled when he felt her lay her head down on his shoulder. She was probably exhausted too. "I think we can do better than eggs." He kissed Olivia's temple and released her from his arms but took her hand into his. "Come on."

Olivia followed him as Fitz made his way towards her door. "Where are we going?" When he kept walking without an explanation, she pulled her hand from his and said, "Fitz! I've been cleaning my apartment and doing laundry all day in between studying. I'm not dressed to go out anywhere."

He listened to her explanation and when she was finished, gave her a lopsided smile. "We're just getting something to eat. Trust me when I say no one will care what you look like at the place we are going."

"If you'll just give me a few..."

The smile was gone. His eyebrows were up, and his hand was extended to her. "Do you trust me?"

Without hesitation, Olivia reached for his hand and allowed him to lead her wherever. They got into the elevator and instead of going down like she expected, Fitz pushed the UP button. She had a few questions, but she didn't voice them and continued to hold his hand. She turned towards him and said, "I missed you today."

A proud grin covered his face. "You did?"

"MmmHmmm." She pushed her body impossibly close to his and walked him towards one of the walls in the elevator. His back hit it with a soft thud. She could see the reckless hunger in his eyes and it made her feel powerful to know she could change his mood that quickly.

She didn't waste time with explanations. She got up on her tiptoes and crushed her mouth to his. Olivia felt even more in control when she felt his arms quickly come around her waist and he released a throaty groan as their mouths stayed fused together. Olivia didn't want to get him too riled up right before they were going somewhere to eat, so she reluctantly broke the kiss and looked up at him.

What the hell had just come over her, Fitz wondered? He hoped it happened a lot more often as he looked down at her. Olivia in control Pope was sexy as hell and he wanted more. "I like it when you miss me." he admitted and leaned down for a quick peck. He was about to turn the kiss into something much more when he heard the ding of the elevator. Pulling back to reality, he said, "we'll finish this later on."

"Good, because right now I'm starving!" Olivia stated and stepped off the elevator. She pulled Fitz behind her and stopped short. "I just realized I don't know where we are."

Fitz chuckled, led them to a stairwell, and proceeded to go up.

"Where the hell are we going? I've never been up here."

"You'll see." was all he said. He opened a door that led to outside and Olivia stepped out in front of him. He was right behind her and had his hand on her waist as the two of them took in the sight before them.

A small folding table sat out on the roof of the building. It had a pretty table runner set on it along with two square styrofoam take out boxes. Two tall stemmed glasses sat beside the white food containers and a bottle of wine was on ice in a small cooler on the floor beside the table. The flowers that Fitz had bought were lying beside one of the take out boxes and the small birthday cake sat in the middle of the table.

"How did you...? When did you have time to do all of this?"

"Oh, I didn't. I called Patrick and Hannah and asked them for the assist. It's not as nice as you deserve, but since I just found out that today was your birthday a little over an hour ago, it'll have to do." Fitz explained.

"How'd you find out it was my birthday?" Olivia asked in a surprised voice.

"I have very good connections." he said smugly.

"So, what was the plan? Have dinner and cake out here?"

"Well, we have to eat somewhere, and since you've been busy studying, I knew you would be busy with that to get all dolled up to go out somewhere fancy. This seemed like the perfect place to take you. It's private in case you decide to get handsy with me later on." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"What's the deal with the blanket and pillows over there?" she asked on a chuckle as she glanced to her left.

"I thought we could watch the sun come up as I get handsy with you."

"You thought of everything huh?" she asked grinning. "Can we eat? I really am hungry."

Fitz pulled out her metal folding chair and there was the wrapped gift he bought for her earlier.

"What's this?" she asked smiling coyly. "A present? For me?"

"Looks like it."

Olivia picked it up and looked at him asking, "What is it?"

Fitz helped her into her chair, got into his, and said, "there's only one way to find out." He watched as she carefully peeled back the pretty wrapping paper the lady at the store had used to conceal the gift. Her ecstatic squeal was all the thanks he needed.

Olivia immediately sprang out of her chair and launched herself onto his lap, covering his face with kisses. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love it. You really shouldn't have though!"

Fitz grinned at her as he held Olivia close. "I remembered you having a hard time choosing between this bag and the one you forced me to buy for my supposed bad behavior. No woman should be that tormented over a bag so I thought you should have both of them."

"I love it." She said setting it on the table. She turned to him and put her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. He had found out about her birthday and then had gone above and beyond anything she could have possibly expected. He had made her feel special when she didn't know she wanted to feel that way. He was always doing sweet things for her or taking care of her. He was a keeper. "And I love you."

Fitz smiled at her. No sweeter or more meaningful words could have come from her mouth at that moment. Olivia loved him. He had some words for her too. "I'm not secretive about my birthday like you seem to be. Mine is at the end of the summer and I love a good party." He chuckled as her face crinkled at his ill timed words. "And I love you too. Happy birthday, Livvie."


	16. Dirty Laundry

**Dirty Laundry**

He was sprawled out in the back of a cab headed home. He had a pounding headache, he had just left the hospital after working a twenty hour shift that had him running in a hundred different directions the entire time, and he was starving. All of those things made for a bad day all by themselves but combined with the fact that he and Olivia had had their first fight before he left for work, Fitz was in a hell of a bad mood. He just wanted to go home and sleep like a rock.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to stave off the all consuming pain he felt behind his eyes. "Look, can you stop somewhere so I can get something to eat? Please?"

"Dude. I don't really have time to..."

"I'll buy you dinner at whichever fast food place we go to or I'll give you an extra ten bucks. Whichever you want. Please! My head is pounding, I'm exhausted beyond reason, and I need something to eat. You can even pick the place." He knew he sounded pathetic, but there was no way in hell he was going to be able to cook anything when he got home.

"Yea, okay. I can do that. You do look like shit, dude. No offense." The diver said looking at him from the rearview mirror.

"None taken." Fitz sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "It can't be worse than how I feel. Thanks for stopping, man. I appreciate it."

The driver pulled up into a Taco Bell drive through and placed his order after Fitz placed his. Money exchanged hands and the large bag filled with delicious smelling Mexican food was passed into the yellow car. The driver pulled into a parking space and the two men ate ravenously. Groans of satisfaction were sporadically heard in the taco scent filled car.

After eating his last taco, the driver put the car in drive and said, "that was tasty. Good call on dinner in the car, man."

"My headache is feeling a little better too. Now, if I could just get some sleep, I'll feel almost human again." Fitz replied. "Of course, I'll have to talk some sense into my girlfriend when I get up. Won't that be fun?" he said sarcastically. The thought of it made him feel tired in his bones.

"What was that last part?" the driver asked.

Realizing he had been speaking his thoughts out loud, Fitz mumbled, "nothing". He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat hoping to quietly enjoy the rest of the ride to his building until he felt the car stop. Instead, the argument with Olivia forced its way to the forefront of his brain.

"Fitz, your dirty clothes are on the floor. Again." Olivia had casually told him.

"I'll get them in a minute. The game is almost over." he had yelled from the living room.

"Can you please just pick them up right now? It'll only take a minute." she sang from the other room.

"Liv, this baseball game will be over in two minutes. Three tops." he shouted.

Olivia had come into the living room and sat down beside him and began watching the game. Fifteen minutes later the game was still going. When a commercial came on, she stood up and turned off the television.

"What the fuck, Olivia?" he shouted as he pushed to his feet from his spot on the sofa.

"You said three minutes tops. It's been fifteen and this game is still going strong. All I'm asking is for you to pick up your dirty clothes from the floor and put them into the hamper. It's not hard work, Fitz."

He turned the television back on and shot her a look. "And I said I'd do it when the game is over."

Olivia turned the television back off and stuck her hand on her hip as impatience radiated off her little body. "Why not do it now?" she insisted.

"Because I don't feel like doing it right now!" he shouted at her.

"It's a fucking commercial! You aren't missing anything at all!" she yelled back.

"How would I know that when you keep turning the damned tv off? I said I'd pick them up when the game is over, and I will. As you can see, the game is still on" he said angrily gesturing to the television.

Olivia nodded angrily and made her way to the front door. "And as you can see, this is your apartment. If you want to live like a fucking animal, be my guest. I'm going to my place where things are where they are supposed to be. When you decide to stop being an asshole, let me know!" She walked out, slamming the door behind her.

The game ended exactly twenty three seconds later.

Fitz knew he should go into the bathroom and pick up his dirty clothes, but his anger wouldn't let him. He shrugged and turned the channel to watch another baseball game that he didn't care anything about. Five minutes later, the guilt became too much, and he dutifully went to pick up his clothes from the floor.

They had yelled at each other all because Olivia couldn't wait twenty three seconds! Women logic didn't make much sense to him sometimes.

The car finally stopped, bringing him back to the present. Fitz gave the drive an extra ten for being such a good sport. Fitz decided that he deserved that as well as the tacos and felt good about going above and beyond paying the fare owed. He told the driver thank you and went inside the building.

As he rode alone in the elevator up to his floor he muttered, "shower, sleep, Olivia." He almost fell asleep on his feet until the iron cage stopped moving. He stepped out and staggered towards his door. Yawning loudly, he pulled his keys from his pocket and fumbled with them until the right one slid into the lock. He turned the key and opened the door, stumbling inside. He closed the door and started walking away until he remembered to turn around and lock the door.

Between the exhaustion and his waning headache, the bathroom seemed so far away, but he kept going until he got there. He turned on the shower without turning on the light and brushed his teeth while he waited for the water to heat up. His toothbrush wasn't in it's usual place and he wondered who moved it? Knowing it could only be Olivia, his anger flared at her audacity. Touching someone's toothbrush is kind of a big deal. He made a sleepy mental note to tell her off when he confronted her about all the other bullshit they had argued about.

When he felt steam billowing from the shower, he stripped out of his scrubs with his eyes half closed and stepped inside. The hot water felt amazing on his skin and he took a moment to just stand there under the spray and let the water pelt him. He knew he was dead on his feet and had mere minutes until he was out cold, so he grabbed the soap and began lathering himself up. Something was off about the soap. He brought the slippery bar to his nose and inhaled deeply. He made a face. It smelled like flowers for some reason and not like his manly scented soap. What the hell was going on?

It seemed Olivia had moved some of her personal things into his apartment is what the hell was going on! He was going to think about and deal with that tomorrow, but it wouldn't be good! He needed his stuff where it had always been. Toothbrush and soap! He didn't mind the girly shit in his place, but he had to have access to his own things when he needed them too! They would be discussing this too!

He was too tired to care about what he smelled like at the moment and continued to clean his body with the floral scented soap. He was having a difficult time keeping his eyes open in the darkened room but stepped under the spray to rinse off. He reached for the shampoo and poured a generous amount of it into his hands and lathered it into his hair. Again, the smell was off. It didn't smell like what he normally used on his hair. It smelled good though. Maybe Olivia had bought him some new shampoo. That was kinda sweet and it eased the edges of his temper. He was too tired to be mad anyways.

Fitz rinsed his hair, turned off the water, and reached for the towel hanging nearby. Eventually he found it and dried his body and hair with it before wrapping it around his waist. He literally had no energy left to go find underwear to sleep in. Good thing he lived alone. He trudged into his bedroom, pulled the towel off, and crawled under the sheet. He was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow.

Rays from the bright afternoon sun shined through the window and onto his face. Fitz ignored it for as long as he possibly could, but eventually he couldn't pretend his retinas weren't being burned from behind his eyelids. He slowly blinked his eyes open. Everything was out of focus at first. His bleary eyes just wanted more sleep. In his exhausted state of mind the previous night, Fitz had forgotten to shut the blinds so that the sun wouldn't blind him when it rose at the stupid early morning hour.

He rolled to the side of the bed and put his feet on the floor. He didn't feel the chill from the bare floor. Something felt...fuzzy? He rubbed a hand over his still so tired eyes and tried once again to open them. It was slow going, but finally they opened to slits. The light was too damn bright. He closed them again and thought maybe he could close the blinds with his eyes closed? It was two steps to the window. Surely, he could feel for the rod that closed the blinds when it was twisted?

Practically sleep walking, Fitz slowly made his way towards the window with his arms in front of him. He looked like one of the zombies on The Walking Dead, minus the gore. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, Fitz realized that he still hadn't felt the cool of the linoleum floor on his bare feet. Why did the floor feel fuzzy this morning?

He sighed deeply, knowing he had to know what the hell was going on in his apartment. He slowly blinked his eyes open as he looked down at his feet to solve the mystery. As his vision slowly started to come into focus, his confusion became clearer. Why was there a brown and teal rug under his feet just like the one at Liv's in his bedroom? He lifted his head and turned it to the left and then to the right. Why was his bedroom decorated just like hers too? Right down to the color of the walls?

"Good morning." Olivia chirped as she walked by the door.

Fitz's head snapped to the door and his eyes opened wide. It was then that reality hit him. He was in Olivia's apartment and not his own. He looked back down. And he was bare ass naked too!

Shit!

Fitz whipped his head around, searching for something to put on to cover himself up with. He saw her pink robe – the same one she had been wearing on top of the t-shirt, minus the bra, when she answered the door to him not that long ago. With extremely limited choices, Fitz grabbed the robe and put it on, pulling the front together and tying the matching pink material belt. The thing barely covered his ass and he kept pulling on it, making sure everything private stayed that way until he got back into his own apartment.

There was no way for him to coolly walk out the bedroom, through the living room, and out the front door. With his luck, his ass would show – or worse – Olivia would want to talk, or any number of unexpected things would happen whenever a female is entered into an equation. Fitz grabbed the edges of the robe, pulling it tighter together, took a deep breath, and headed to the living room.

His hand was just about to grab onto the doorknob when her voice stopped him in his tracks. "Where are your dirty scrubs from last night?"

He closed his eyes as his head fell backwards in defeat. Naturally her first question was about his dirty laundry. He thought back to what he had done with his clothes after he had taken them off.

Shit! They were in the middle of the bathroom floor. And she had to know the answer before she had even asked the damn question. He was screwed!

He turned his head and looked at her. She was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, not giving him the time of day. He gave her his best apologetic smile and said, "they are on the bathroom floor. I'll go get them."

"Thats okay." she replied waving her hand in the air.

Fitz smiled at her and started making his way to where she sat. She must have thought about how crazy their argument was earlier the previous morning and come to the conclusion that...

"you can go get them after the news goes off." she finished.

Came to the conclusion that he was still a useless asshole and that she was right. His smile faltered, and he veered towards the bathroom to pick up his clothes. He had been an asshole. He shouldn't have yelled at her. Period. He should have done what she asked him to do because it wasn't the end of the world and she had asked him nicely while a commercial was on. Yea, he had been an asshole alright.

He put the clothes into the hamper and slowly made his way back to the living room. He stood in front of Liv and said, "I'm sorry I was rude to you yesterday. I'm sorry that we fought. I was wrong, and I love you. Can you forgive me?"

She smiled up at him. "There's nothing to forgive. We had a fight and you apologized. It's over. I love you too."

"Really?" He sat down beside her on the sofa. "Thanks, Livvie."

She turned back to the television. "And if you ever act like that again, I have no less than two dozen pictures of you wearing my robe with your ass hanging out, your balls hanging out, or – my favorite - you zombie walking butt naked to the window with your eyes closed that will find their way uploaded to your Facebook account." She turned to look at him with a serious expression. "Are we clear?"

Fitz closed his gaping open mouth. He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and said "crystal" before silently turning his attention back to the tv.


	17. Study Sessions

**Study Sessions**

"Fitz, we've been going at it for a while now. Can't we stop for a little while? Please?" She rested her head on his arm.

"You want to stop before we reach the goal? That's not like you, Livvie."

"Ugggg! I hate you for making me feel like a quitter but I'm exhausted!" she whined. "And you're relentless! I just need a break!"

"A break is acceptable. But after your break we are going right back at it." he threatened.

"I changed my mind. I'm not going back at anything."

He pointed a finger at her. "You told me that you'd start getting whiney around the one hour mark. You're just hitting your wall. You gotta rise above that. C'mon!"

"It's already been an hour?" she shrieked. "We are absolutely done in that case! I want food!"

"I'll make us something to eat and then we're gonna study some more. You gotta have some stick-toitiveness." Fitz turned to head into the kitchen as he thought of something, he could whip up quickly.

"I hate you sometimes." Olivia pouted.

He halted mid step. "What'd you just say?" He had heard her perfectly well.

"What?" she asked innocently? She was gonna have to work on making her mumble more mumbley so doctor dog ears couldn't hear what she was bitching about. "I didn't say anything."

"Okay. If you say so. Is an omelet a good meal?" he called from the kitchen.

Olivia made a face. An omelet took like five minutes to make. She was hoping for a much longer break in their study session than that. "Why can't we have steak and baked potatoes?"

Fitz flicked his glance up to the clock on the wall. "At eleven o'clock?" He knew what she was doing. Pulling out stall tactics. It wasn't going to work though. She was getting an egg. It was fast, and it was brain food. He pulled out a frying pan and set it on the stove before going to the refrigerator .

Steak before lunch time was a little bit obvious. She was screwed, and she knew it. Huffing out a breath, Olivia conceded, "eggs are fine."

"Good. Come help me since you're not doing anything productive at the moment." He went to the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of eggs, breaking five into a bowl and began whisking them.

"I've been studying for over an hour and all you've done is ask me questions." she reported as she watched him. "I am not cooking lunch and that's final."

He sprinkled some cheese into the eggs, along with some salt and pepper and then poured the mixture into the hot frying pan and said, "if you clean your plate then you can have dessert later on." Fitz wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Reallllllllllly?" She asked with a smirk. "Do you have ice cream in the freezer?"

"No" Fitz chuckled.

"Or those chocolate cookies I really like?" she asked as she looked up at the cabinets.

"Not quite what I had in mind either." He said rolling his eyes.

"Ooooooh! How about those gooey fudge bars that make me lose my mind?"

"You think you're cute, don't you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, I don't think I'm ugly." she chuckled.

"Touche" he replied.

"What kind of dessert are we talking about? And when can I have it?"

"Forget the dessert." Fitz informed her as he slid a generous amount of eggs onto her plate.

"I can't now. You've already got me wondering what it is." she stated taking a big bite.

"Fine. When you're done you can eat a couple of cookies." He went and got the package and slid it in her direction. "Afterwards we need to get back to studying."

She grimaced and speared a forkful of eggs into her mouth. "I don't want to, Fitz! Let's go for a walk outside? Oooooh! Or have sex for a while?"

He swallowed the food in his mouth and asked, "what if I promise to make studying for the bar exciting for you?"

She squinted her eyes suspiciously at him. "How?"

"Every time you answer a question correctly, I'll take off a piece of clothing." He watched Olivia's eyebrows shoot skyward and he knew he had her right where he wanted her. "We'll call it strip studying. Although you should be the one stripping because you're always running around in those little..." He gestured wildly with his hands in her direction. "...dresses. With nothing on underneath, I might add."

"We didn't have strip studying when I went to college." She declared, taking another bite and ignoring his comment about her clothes. He loved what she wore.

"That's because you went to college with boys. In case you haven't noticed, I am a man."

Olivia let her eyes roam over his fully clothed body. She licked her lip absentmindedly. "Oh, I've noticed."

"You did, huh?" he asked. He had noticed that she was a million miles away right now. Probably daydreaming of things she'd like to do to him? This could work to both of their benefits. "You up for it?"

She snapped herself out of the sexual haze she had put herself in. Damn him and his fine ass for trapping her. Now she wanted him. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yea, I guess. It's something to do I suppose?"

Fitz wasn't fooled. He didn't miss the hungry look in her eyes. He ate the last bite of his eggs and said, "you wash the dishes and I'll get my question cards ready. Meet in the living room in ten minutes."

"Whoaaaa! Why am I washing the dishes?"

"Because I cooked and it's fair. It's two plates, two forks, a frying pan, and a spatula. You got this, Livvie. I'm the one whose ass is on the line. Literally." He had just gotten himself out of washing dishes. He mentally high fived himself and dashed into his bedroom in search of a few more items of clothing to put on.

He came back out into the living room where Olivia joined him a few minutes later and began laughing loudly at him. His eyebrows dropped, and he said, "what's so funny?"

"You are!" She said pointing at him. "What are you wearing?"

He dropped his head and examined his outfit. He had pulled on an extra pair of socks, a sweater, a pair of sweats, a suit jacket, a hat, and a pair of winter gloves. "I can't help you study for very long if I'm only wearing three items of clothing." he explained.

"Good point. But it looks like you put on everything in your closet?" She replied, still chuckling.

He scowled at her. "I was just trying to make it last longer."

"Do you have issues with it not lasting long enough?" She inquired.

He grabbed Olivia and pulled her into his arms with a big grin on his face. Leaning down, he sucked on her bottom lip for a long moment. He released it and in a low voice said, "I haven't heard any complaints from you about it."

She grinned up at his handsome face and slid her fingers into the curly hair at the nape of his neck. "That's because by the time you're done with me all I want to do is sleep for hours. I don't have the energy to complain about anything."

"Mmmmm, if you can keep me from getting naked by answering most of the questions wrong then I'll make you an extremely tired woman when we're done." he said suggestively as he grabbed her ass and ground his center against hers. "That's a promise."

"You'll be naked in no time."

He gave her a fake disbelieving look. "We'll see about that."

"One way or another, your clothes are coming off. You can count on that!" Olivia pulled his face down for a blood boiling kiss and grabbed a handful of his ass right back. "Let's do this, doctor daring!" she said after letting go of him.

He had Googled sample questions over the past few weeks and taped them all over the apartment in inconspicuous places so that Olivia wouldn't see them when she came over. Behind the edge of a picture hanging on the wall, on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door, under a sofa cushion; places like that. As Olivia watched him curiously, Fitz picked up a couch cushion and retrieved the piece of paper he had purposefully left there.

"Really, Fitz?" she asked on a chuckle.

"Yes, really. Do you know how hard it is to hide stuff from you? You're very nosey." he replied. "You're not going to be allowed to come over here the entire month of December, and I'll want my key back then too."

"Why?" she demanded

"Because you'll be snooping through every damned thing looking for your Christmas gift while I'm at work. That's why!"

"You must be planning on buying me something big, huh? Or lots of little things?" she asked grinning at him.

"You'll never know until Christmas day, now will you?" Fitz replied with a smile.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Now then." He read the question and gave her four options to choose an answer from. She picked the right answer and he clapped, making very little noise with his glove covered hands before he took them off, which made her laugh. He made his way into the kitchen, with her on his heels, and peeled the post it from inside the cabinet door and read her that thought provoking question. She got that one right as well, and Fitz began to think he might have put on too many clothes.

The sixth question had made her pause before she answered, and Fitz thought that maybe, just maybe, he had found a question that would trip her up. He was down to the clothing he had on when they started studying a half hour ago. She took the long way explaining her answer, but it turned out to be correct too.

"That's right! Your studying has really paid off, Livvie. I think you might be ready for the test?" Fitz was really proud of her. She had been working her ass off and it showed.

She sat down on the sofa with her legs tucked underneath her. She was excited to watch him take off another piece of clothing. And she knew which one was coming off next. "That shirt has gotta go." Olivia said excitedly.

Fitz raised his eyebrows at her.

"Sorry." she replied. "Take off your fucking t shirt right now. Please."

His eyebrows stayed up, but he chuckled at her and shook his head back and forth. Their eyes were locked on each other and the playfulness disappeared quickly. Fitz grabbed the bottom edge of his t shirt and lifted it three of four inches, watching Olivia's expression as he did so.

He dropped his hands and said, "I need to take a break for a second."

"You want to stop before we reach the goal? That's not like you, Fitz." Olivia said in a mocking tone. Her gaze went intent once again and was zeroed in on the skin he was showing. She wasn't saying a word, yet Fitz could all but hear her commanding him to pull the shirt up over his head. He did so without much flair and went to sit beside Olivia. She took several moments to openly admire his chiseled abs and tapered waist. He was so fucking hot.

The cool air on his bare chest felt good. Olivia's wandering hands on his cooling skin felt so much better. He glanced down and followed the movements of her hands for a minute and then lifted his head and looked at her. "What do you think you're doing?" he sang.

"Distracting you from studying. Is it working?" she asked with a gleam in her eye.

"No!" he replied in a completely unconvincing tone.

Two of Olivia's fingers walked themselves down his chest to the button on his khaki shorts. With her eyes focused on her task, she unfastened the button and then flicked her eyes up to his. Keeping her deep brown eyes on his baby blue ones, she slid his zipper down and smiled at him.

His breathing became slightly heavier as he watched her. He stretched his arms out on the back of the couch. Damn, she was sexy when she was toying with him. "Can IIIIIIIII help you? What do you think you're doing now?"

"Oh, now I'm definitely studying. We've moved from law to anatomy though." She might not be studying the material they had started off with, but he wasn't about to tell her that she had to stop either. She reached inside the boxer briefs she never got him down to and pulled out her long prize. Olivia wasted no time leaning her head into his lap and began licking the tip of him, and eventually, taking most of him into her mouth.

Holy fuck! That was a surprise! Fitz's stomach tightened, but the shock wore off soon enough and was replaced by a feeling of bliss. He felt himself relax as Olivia worked him with her mouth. He was going to take his shirt off around her a LOT more often if it had this effect!

As fantastic as it felt, he was picturing a different ending for this scenario. Without wasting any time, he nudged her off of his lower half and picked her up into his arms and carried her into her bedroom. He laid her down and immediately covered her body with his own. His anxious lips found hers and he slid his tongue into her mouth.

She broke the kiss and pulled much needed air into her lungs. "We need to do strip studying more often." Olivia said breathlessly.

Fitz looked down at her. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and said, "you're ready for the bar, Livvie. You know all that shit you've been studying for weeks. You know it inside..."

He intertwined their fingers and pushed himself into her, felling her hands grip his back harshly. It just made him smile bigger.

"...and out." He pulled his hips back and felt Olivia push hers closer to him to keep them connected. He shook his head back and forth at her and chuckled softly. "you're such a greedy girl."

He leaned down and kissed her softly. "And intelligent. And beautiful. And amazing in every way. You've got this, Liv. You are ready."

She had been listening to his words of praise but avoiding eye contact with him. Finally, when he finished speaking, she looked up at him. With a voice full of nerves, she whispered, "I'm scared. What if I fail the test again?"

Fitz cocked his head to the side and gave her a lopsided smile and said, "But what if you pass?"

"But..." she began.

"Do you feel like you're fully prepared for the test?" He watched her have an internal war of how to best answer the question. "Don't over think it. Just answer the question. Are you ready?"

"Yes." she said.

It must have surprised her, because her face registered shock. And then nothing but joy.

"See. You've got this." he encouraged.

"I really want to get this." she said, jerking her hips forward. "Do you think we can get back to it now?"


	18. Lost and Found

_This is yet another product of my insomnia..._

 **Lost and Found**

Olivia had ended her hellishly busy shift at the restaurant about twenty minutes ago. A cab had just dropped her off at the big intersection and she was leisurely walking towards her building. She didn't mind the walk because spring was in full bloom and the temperature was finally done with the freezing low numbers. The air was lighter somehow in the springtime. She loved the short walk to her building when it wasn't stifling hot or in the single digits. The happy medium of those two was her favorite.

She wanted nothing more than a nice hot bath to take the edge off of the seemingly endless day on her feet. A large glass of red wine, with at least one refill, would help her forget where those edges had been in the first place. She had eaten dinner not long before her shift had ended so cooking – okay, ordering in – wasn't on the agenda for the evening.

Her feet were killing her in the heels she had on and she couldn't wait to slip out of them and into her comfy fuzzy slippers. She'd probably throw on that pink robe too. She couldn't even look at it without being reminded of when Fitz had put it on. She chuckled out loud at the mental image of it.

Fitz was already at home and had been texting her ever since her shift ended. She smiled at the thought of going to his apartment after her bath to just spend a little time with him before they went to bed. Usually they watched something on television or just sat and talked for a while. Unwinding with him always made falling asleep afterwards so much easier. Olivia wasn't old by any stretch of the imagination, but she already had a deep appreciation for getting plenty of sleep most nights.

Olivia was absently reaching for her door key as she turned and made her way up the few steps in front of her building when she heard a low sound. She stopped mid step and lifted her head to see where the sound was coming from. There, to the left of the door, was a little bitty kitten. It was squeezed into a tiny ball trying to be invisible to anyone who came near. The low meowing sounded pitiful to Olivia's ears. She focused her attention on the kitten and dropped her keys into her purse. The noise startled the kitten and it visibly jumped and eyed her warily.

"Oh, no no! It's okay." she cooed. "I'm not gonna hurt you baby."

She squatted down close enough to touch the kitten but refrained from doing that. The kitten looked barely old enough to be separated from its mother. It appeared to be a black cat and Olivia felt a twinge in her heart for it. The kitten must have felt something similar, because it stood up, sniffed the air, and slowly made its way to where she was still squatted.

The kitten walked around her a few times while Olivia watched it with a smile. It was a black cat, Olivia noticed as the tiny thing made its last trip around her body. When the small kitten was standing in front of her, done with its circles, it looked up at Olivia and meowed.

"Ohmygoodness you are so damn cute!" she squealed quietly as she observed it.

Olivia looked at the kitten and the kitten looked back. Knowing she could very easily be about to have a feral kitten go wild on her, but still not caring, she lifted her hand and moved it in the direction of the small black bundle of fur in front of her. The kitten never moved.

"Look at you being all bad ass brave" Olivia praised.

The moment her hand touched its fur, the kitten began purring contentedly and even moved closer to her, nudging her with its head for more. She chuckled at it and poured on the love, scratching it under the neck. The kitten flopped down on the concrete and curled into Olivia's hand. "You are a little charmer, aren't you?"

After a minute or two, Olivia stood up to go inside and told the kitten goodbye. It meowed at her with the pitiful sound once again. "Uh uh! Don't do that! That right there is some sick man shit. Acting like you're dying just to get some attention. Ten bucks says you're a male kitten. Well, we don't do that. You hear me? No!"

The kitten turned its head to the side and just looked at her. The thought went through Olivia's head that if it had a lopsided smile, it would have looked just like Fitz in that moment. Jesus! She was losing her mind. What in the hell? Was she really standing here talking to a stray kitten? She lifted her head and looked to the left and then to the right to make sure no one had seen her. There were people on the street, but they weren't close enough to see her moment of insanity. She looked back down at the kitten. "I'm going inside now. You know what we just talked about, so don't so it again. Okay?"

She opened the door and stepped inside. She glanced at the mailboxes, but she didn't have the energy to care about mail today and walked right by them. She went to the elevators and pushed the up arrow. The doors dinged, and she stepped inside and turned around. There, on the other side of the doors was the kitten. It looked like it was trying to figure out how to get onto the elevator with her. Olivia stepped back out to where the kitten stood.

Olivia put her hands on her hips and looked down at her small fearless companion. "Why did you follow me in here? Are you trying to break my heart with your cuteness? I shouldn't tell you this, but it's working." She took a step towards the door that led outside, and the kitten dutifully followed. "Come on. You've got to go back outside, little man."

The kitten meowed, and its little legs quickly scampered behind her.

Olivia turned around to make sure it was still following her and was about to open the door to let it out. But then a thought popped into her head. She stared down at the kitten for a long moment before saying, "Okay. Here's the deal. And let me say right up front that I hate you a little bit for possibly being the beginning of my life of a cat lady. If you let me pick you up without incident, then I'll take you up to my apartment and see how you do inside. If you freak the hell out and scratch me or go Tasmanian devil on me, you're out. Those are the rules. Go it?"

The cat was sitting on its little butt looking up at her.

"Okay. Here I go. I'm going to pick you up now. Please don't scratch me because I'm already kinda in love with you. I hate you a little bit for turning me into a pile of mush too. It's a good thing you're cute." Olivia squatted down and reached for the kitten like she had done it every day since it had been born. The kitten made no sound until it was being cradled close to Olivia's chest. And then it purred like a freight train. "You're good!" Olivia praised sarcastically. She pointed at the small feline. "Fine. Home it is. But if you claw on a shoe or bag it's not gonna be pretty. I'm just sayin'."

She fully expected the tiny animal to try to jump out of her arms at some point, but it just laid in her arms happy as a clam. She pet it as they rode in the elevator up to her apartment. By the time she got to her front door, the kitten was asleep in her arms. It was cute as hell when it was asleep too. " I am in deep shit with you, man" Olivia whispered to it.

Her key was in the key hole and she was about to open the door when the door to Fitz's apartment opened and he saw her. "Hey, Livvie!" he announced.

Olivia looked down at the kitten and then back to Fitz. "SHHHHHHH!"

Fitz looked around the empty hall and asked, "Why am I being quiet out here?" When he got close enough, he noticed the kitten in her arms. "What the fuck is that?"

She shot him an annoyed look. "It's a pony. What does it look like?"

"Sorry. That was a dumb question." He leaned in and got a good look at it before putting a hand down and petting it. "It's cute as hell. Looks like its past the weaning age so that's a good thing. Where did you get it?"

Olivia unlocked her door and the two of them went inside. She wanted to have the kitten in her apartment when she told Fitz where she had found it. That way, he was already hers. Kind of. "Ummm, it was out on the front stoop."

Fitz's eyes bugged out of his head. "What?! I thought you got it from the animal shelter or a friend or something?"

"I don't make a habit out of going to the animal shelter right after work. He was just sitting out there all by himself and...I don't know...I felt bad for him so I picked him up. It's all his fault by the way." Olivia said nodding her head quickly.

"It is huh? How do you figure that?" Fitz asked. He looked at the kitten. It was really cute. "And how do you know it's a male?"

"I'm assuming it's a he. It definitely is his fault though! He looked at me with those pu...okay, maybe not puppy dog eyes, but he looked like he was sitting there...I don't know...waiting for me? I left him out there. Well, I thought I did. He followed me into the building and I didn't discover it until I was inside the elevator. So, I walked him back to the front door to let him back outside and that's when it hit me."

"This oughtta be good." Fitz muttered, still petting the kitten.

"I told him..." She closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth. "I know it sounds crazy, okay? But I told him if he let me pet him without tearing my skin to shreds then I would bring him up to my apartment and see how he does in here. Just for tonight." She tried to make the last sentence sound believable but failed.

"I see." Fitz began. "And he just let you hold him with no problems?"

"Better than that!" She declared proudly. "He started purring."

"Imagine that. A cat purring. What are the odds?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, you can't keep him, Liv. He's a stray animal. He could be sick or belong to someone else? Maybe he's lost and someone is out looking for him right now?"

"They are doing a shitty job if that's the case. AND, how do you misplace a perfect little baby like this? IF he belongs to someone, they don't deserve to have him." She looked down at the sleeping kitten cradled in her arms. She took him to the sofa and sat down. "Do they? No, they don't."

The kitten purred extra loud so Fitz could hear it.

Fitz rolled his eyes.

"Awww. He's just a baby anyways. He can't stay outside all night. He's probably hungry. What do you feed baby kittens? Milk? Or does that hurt their stomachs?" Olivia asked.

"I thought you would have had it all figured out by now, doctor doolittle."

"Shut up. He suckered me in with his charming good looks. He's very cute, this little boy. Aren't you? Yes, you are. I'm gonna pet your little furry belly now."

At this point, the cat was letting Olivia do whatever she wanted to it.

Fitz pulled his phone from his back pocket and Googled what to feed kittens. Olivia's baby talking voice filled the silence as he searched. "Okay, this says they should eat dry kibble. That cow's milk is bad for their stomachs and will probably cause diarrhea. We don't want that. The thing is gonna need..."

"He's not a thing!" Olivia exclaimed loudly. "Are you...Shadow?"

Fitz dropped his hands and squinted at Olivia. "I'm sorry. Did you just name that cat?"

Olivia looked from Fitz to the kitten and then back to Fitz again. "No!" She said defensively. "I mean...He just looks like a shadow. It's common sense."

"Riiiiiiiiiight." He didn't believe a word that came out of her mouth when it came to that kitten. "So, the kitten is going to need a litter box – gross- food and water bowls, and a bed. I guess tomorrow you can pack all of its stuff and take it where it needs to go. But if you plan on keeping it in here, its gonna need somewhere to sleep and something to eat."

"You're gonna go to the store for me?" Olivia asked sweetly.

"Do I have a choice?" He already knew the answer to that question.

"No." She replied smiling at him.

He leaned down and pecked her lips. "I'll be back shortly. Do you need anything else while I'm gone?"

"I'm good, thank you. Tired, but good. I'm glad I'm off tomorrow. I'll see you when you get back."

The second he walked out the door, Olivia scooped up the kitten and took it into her bathroom. She slowly pulled the shower curtain back and turned the water on. The kitten tensed and looked like it might bolt. "It's okay. You need a bath. You look big enough to handle a quick one. You'll feel better and smell better too."

Olivia had heard when she was growing up stories about how much cats hate water. This kitten must be part dog, because he seemed to actually love it. He let Olivia wash and rinse him. She thought about drying him with her blow dryer, but then thought the loud noise would freak him out. So, instead she rubbed him down really good with an old thick towel. The two of them settled on the sofa again and he began the process of licking his wet fur. By the time Fitz got back from the store, he was mostly dry and asleep in Olivia's pajama clad arms.

He unloaded the litter box and put some litter into it, just in case he needed to use it. Not knowing for sure if it was a male or female, Fitz went with boring cream colored bowls. He put a little bit of water in one of them and a little bit of kibble in the other one. This stray had hit the mother lode when it found Olivia. He turned to look at them. "Where do you want me to put the small bed?"

Olivia shrugged.

She was going to sleep with that damned cat in her bed. He just knew it. He set it down near the sofa and asked, "would you like a glass of wine?"

"Yes, please. That was high on my mental to do list when I was on my way home."

He handed her a long stemmed glass and sat down beside her. The kitten was out like a light. "He's gonna sleep his life away."

Olivia looked down at the sleeping kitten and smiled. "He's worn out from having a bath while you were gone."

"Of course he is." Fitz chuckled. "What are you going to do about this kitten, Liv? Seriously?"

"I don't know yet. The rational side of my brain knows I should take him to animal control or put up found signs. But the realistic side of my brain knows neither one of those two options are going to happen." She glanced over at him. "Be prepared for him to be our permanent baby, okay?"

He smiled, put his arm around her, and kissed her cheek. He already knew that was her end game. He just wanted her to say it out loud. She had that 'I'm a goner' look on her face probably long before he saw it in the hall. "Its gonna have to go to a vet and get checked out. Make sure it doesn't have anything seriously wrong with it. We can find out how old it is. If it's a male or female. Get its shots and schedule it to get spayed or neutered. Stuff like that."

"You're gonna go with me?" She asked in a surprised tone.

"Well, yea. It's our permanent baby. We'll take care of it together."

"Awww thanks, Fitz. Should I call you daddy?"

"It's a cat not a baby! So, that's a NO!" he stressed.

"That's reasonable. All I'm saying is overlook me if I tell it to go find its daddy. In all seriousness, I will probably do that. Won't I Shadow?" she admitted.

The kitten meowed lightly.

"Jesus." he sighed.


	19. Testing 1, 2, 3

**Testing 1, 2, 3**

The big day was finally here!

It seemed like it would never get here, as Olivia and Fitz made black X's on each little square on the hanging wall calendar as the days passed, and then BAM! Suddenly it was here. Counting days was over. The endless waiting was over. Asking fifty million carefully searched internet law questions was over.

Olivia was taking the New York bar exam today.

Remembering it brought a smile to Fitz's face. He turned his head to look at the beautiful sleeping woman beside him. She was curled into his side, using his arm as her own personal pillow. She had one of her own arms haphazardly thrown across his chest and one of her legs was intertwined with his under the sheet at the foot of the bed. It was how they slept most of the time and he was glad that today was no different. She would need as much normalcy as possible this morning.

She was going to freak out later on. Sometime before the test, all of the things she was feeling would come bubbling up to the surface and she would freak out. She'd probably fake illness too? As his mind pondered the liklihood of that and he watched her sleep, Fitz decided he'd almost bet money on that one.

He was glad that she was still sleeping. It had taken quite a while for her to fall asleep the night before. She had practically begged him to continue quizzing her until he finally and forcefully refused, telling her it was past midnight and reminded her that everything he had read said that she needed a good night's sleep. She had rolled her eyes but stopped pestering him. The two of them had settled into bed with Shadow curled up and asleep at the foot of it. A happy little family.

The thought of getting up and making breakfast had been the goal, but for now Fitz just enjoyed the moment of closeness with Olivia. He was about to close his eyes and enjoy the silence a little longer when hers popped open wide. It startled him, jolting him in the bed. "What's the matter?"

"It's test day! You're awake and you're letting me sleep? On test day? Have you lost your mind?" she demanded. Olivia flung the sheet off and sprang out of the bed.

"So much for a few more minutes of peace and quiet." Fitz muttered to himself. He reluctantly pulled back the sheet and got out of bed, heading into the kitchen. He could hear the water running from the faucet in the bathroom as he started making coffee. "You know, I had planned for you to have a great breakfast before you left this morning. Just so you know."

Olivia poked her head out the bathroom door with her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She gave him a doubt filled look. "I suppose you planned for magical elves to cook it while we were in bed too, huh? Is that why you were lying there not cooking breakfast for your girlfriend who is about to take a long ass test?"

"Put down the toothbrush." He replied mildly as he pushed the power button on the coffee maker and grabbed a pan from behind a cabinet door and set it on the stove. "You need two hundred milligrams of liquid caffeine. STAT! Followed by a fifty milligram capsule of bitchingbegone. You should start feeling better by the time I have breakfast ready." He gave her a wink and a grin before going into the pantry, picking up the box of pancake mix, and pouring some into a mixing bowl.

He stopped his work long enough to flick his eyes up in her direction. She was staring at him and still brushing her teeth at a leisurely pace. She stopped long enough to spit out the foamy contents inside her mouth and then popped her head back out of the bathroom door. "Are you recommending that medication because you took all my Midol the other day when you stubbed your toe on the coffee table and couldn't find the Tylenol?"

Fitz opened his mouth to dish out some more sarcasm and then remembered that Olivia had indeed given him Midol – while laughing and promising it would work – and he wisely shut it again. She wasn't supposed to bring that up again. Ever! She promised.

Olivia gave him a wink and a grin.

She came out all dressed and ready for the day just as Fitz finished up the magical breakfast. He flipped a couple of pancakes onto each plate, along with some scrambled eggs, and put the plate in front of her at the table along with the bottle of maple syrup. "Eat." he commanded.

"Thank you. Really, Fitz. But I'm just not really hun..."

"Eat!" He said a little more firmly. "You're going to be in there for a while. You need a full stomach so you're not thinking about hunger pains while trying to take care of business."

"Fine! Jesus." She speared some eggs and brought the fork to her mouth. "Why couldn't I have fallen in love with a plumber?"

"You wanna look at my ass? Is that it, Livvie?" Fitz chuckled.

"No more talking. I need to concentrate." Once breakfast was eaten, Olivia stacked the dishes into the dish washer while Fitz went to brush his own teeth and quickly get dressed. They were out the door ten minutes later.

The two of them got out of the cab and walked hand in hand up the sidewalk to the front of the building where the test was to be given. It wasn't long after they arrived that Olivia started having doubts, which practically turned into a full blown panic attack. "Let's just go back home."

Fitz squinted his eyes at her. Surely, he hadn't heard her correctly. Chuckling he asked, "what did you just say?"

"IIIIIIIIIIII don't think I can do this today. I'm not ready."

"You're ready. You've got this." Fitz encouraged her.

Her eyes were wild. "But what if I fail it again? What if I humiliate myself for the third time in a row? I don't think I can get over that! I don't think I'm ready. I don't want to do this, Fitz." She was griping onto his shirt sleeve and talking a mile a minute.

Fitz pried his clothing from her desperate hand and put his hands on her shoulders. "Livvie? That's the nerves talking. You're ready. Beyond ready. You've been ready for weeks."

They were having this discussion right there on the sidewalk from their place of second in line. It had annoyed Olivia to no end knowing someone else had gotten there first and she sent ugly looks to the back of the man's head who stood in front of them from the moment they had arrived until she began to doubt herself.

If someone would just come out here and let these people in to take the test, Liv would be fine, Fitz thought to himself as he looked up at the closed door once again. More people had walked up and got into the now lengthy line as time got closer for the test to start. There were no less than thirty people in line now. Olivia and Fitz kept their spots of second and third in that line.

"But what if I fail it?" The thought of it made her sick to her stomach. It was a big deal to take the bar exam. It required a lot of time and money. Neither of which Olivia could afford to squander. And failing the test for the third time would feel exactly like a waste of both precious resources. Not to mention the humiliation of having to tell the people in her life who knew she was taking the damned test that she had failed it again. The thought of that was overwhelming.

Fitz put his hands on her cheeks and gave her a smile. "What if you pass it though?"

Olivia thought about that for a few moments and then went back to her original worry. When the thought of failing made her feel ill again, she ran with it. "I...I...I don't feel good." She gave Fitz a pitiful expression and put a hand to her stomach. "Yea. I'm sick to my stomach."

He mentally high fived himself for knowing her so well. She couldn't fake a faker. Besides, Fitz was a doctor. It was a fact that she must have momentarily forgotten. He put the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're not running a fever." He grabbed her hand and started leading her away. "Come on."

Olivia grinned proudly. Maybe she should attempt a career in acting? She was good! "So, we are going home now?"

"No. I don't want to take any chances with your health. We are going to the hospital." Just like dealing with the kids he sometimes saw at the hospital, Fitz had to pull out scare tactics when necessary.

Olivia skidding to a stop. "What?! No! We are not going to the hospital! I'm fine."

Just like a kid.

"You're not fine. You said you feel sick to your stomach. It could be any number of things, Liv. Things I don't want to take a chance on you having. You could have the stomach flu, food poisoning, Chhorn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or even appendicitis. You having any of those things is not good, so, we are getting it checked." Fitz knew she was about to be miraculously healed.

"I don't have any of those things, Fitz!" she hissed. "I am nervous! That's all!" She looked over her shoulder at the line she was no longer a part of. "And I'm not second in line any more either! Thank you very much!"

"What difference does it make where you're standing in line if you don't feel good?"

"It's just nerves, Fitz. I'm freaking out because I don't want to fail this stupid test again. I'm really scared of that."

He leaned down and kissed her nose. "I know it's just nerves."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. You haven't been complaining about your stomach before this morning."

"Why did I have to fall in love with a fucking know it all doctor?" she muttered.

"Luck?" He asked with a grin. "Listen, you're allowed to be nervous. I would think something was seriously wrong with you if you weren't nervous. But we've been studying for quite a while now and you know all the answers. You are ready, Livvie. You're gonna kick this test's ass!"

"I am, aren't I?" she replied nodding slowly.

"Hell yea, you are!"

Olivia felt the confidence begin to slowly seep through her pores. She was going to be a lawyer soon. She wouldn't be spending her time being extra nice to assholes for tips. She was going to run the world and change lives. "This test doesn't know who it's messing with. Not today!"

"There she is!" Fitz stated proudly.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer to her. She watched his eyes go from shocked to aroused. Good. That's how she was feeling right now too. "And when I find out that I have passed this test with flying colors, we are gonna celebrate with lots and lots of sex."

One of Fitz's eyebrows slowly creeped up his forehead.

She crushed her lips to his, still holding onto his shirt in her balled up fist. She felt his arms go around her small body. One of his large hands slid down her back and settled on her ass while the other one cupped the back of her neck. Olivia was in very good hands at the moment, she knew. She tilted her head to the right and slid her tongue into his mouth. She was really getting into this kiss when she heard clapping, chuckling, and cheers. Remembering that they were standing on the sidewalk, Olivia tried pulling away from Fitz. But he wasn't letting her get away just yet.

He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes with a playful smile on his face as he whispered, "go get 'em, counselor." He brushed his lips against hers one last time before releasing her. But Olivia's hand kept its grip on his shirt front. He looked down at her fist full of his clothing and then back up to her beautiful face.

"Remind me later on to thank you for the great pep talk." She jerked him back close to her and kissed him once more as the crowd of test takers looked on and loudly commented on what they were viewing. "You are amazing."

"You may now enter the building to take the New York bar exam." a voice announced.

"Finally." Fitz breathed out. She was feeling more confident about herself and her abilities. She was in the right frame of mind to take the test once again. And once she was inside, Fitz knew she wouldn't back down from taking it. He just needed to get her cute little ass inside the building so he could go take care of some business of his own.

Olivia released his shirt, smoothed the material down, said "I love you", and began walking inside the building.

Fitz grinned at his little woman. She was going to thank him all right. His mind began thinking of devious ways for her to do just that. He paused his plotting and waited until she was about to walk through the doors before shouting out, "I love you too sexy woman."

She stopped at the door long enough to turn in his direction and blow him a kiss in a sexy fashion.

He watched her disappear inside the building and went on his way. He had six hours to kill while Olivia took the first part of the test. It was a good thing he already had a plan for how he would spend his time this afternoon. He glanced down at his watch and grinned, knowing he would have to jog part of the way to make his scheduled appointment on time. He'd tell Olivia about it once she found out how well she had done on her test.


	20. Reactions

**Reactions**

"Does the apartment smell like cat? All I smell is cat and I can't have that!"

"Doctor Seuss has some stiff competition today!" Fitz said on a laugh. The moment Olivia cut her dagger filled eyes in his direction he wisely clamped his lips together and chose his next words carefully. "Relax. The apartment doesn't smell like cat. Besides, your sister isn't coming to see how clean you keep your apartment. She's coming to visit you. Stop stressing."

Olivia gave him a doubt filled look as she watched Shadow nap happily in Fitz's arms. The two of them had gotten to be quite chummy with each other. It was more than a little annoying to Olivia since she had been the one who had rescued the kitten from the world outside in the first place.

Shadow had been taken to the vet, who had told Olivia and Fitz that the kitten was male – something Olivia already knew in her heart – and that he was old enough to be fixed. He had gotten his shots as well as the surgery and had been healing for the past week. Fitz had been treating the kitten like he was a piece of glass, some male comradery thing she supposed. "You can't tell if it smells like him or not because it's my apartment and you..." she gestured wildly with her hand. "you practically live here! And I would much rather my sister come visit me in a clean apartment than a dirty feline smelling one. Besides, she was allergic to cats when she was younger. I don't want to take any chances. We've got until tomorrow to get this place perfectly clean."

"Why don't I come and stay with you here and we can let Emily and...

"Andrew" she supplied.

"...Andrew stay at my place this weekend? That way we will be the only ones that have to deal with the non-existent cat smell, and you can stop worrying about it so much?"

Olivia's eyes went up to the ceiling and she seemed to be thinking that idea over. They flicked back down to find his blue ones watching her intently. A bright smile covered her face and she replied, "that's a great idea! Are you sure that's okay with you? Sharing your space with a couple of strangers?"

"It's just a weekend, and it's fine. Besides, I've been thinking that it might be a good time to start talking about mo..."

A knock on the door interrupted him. "Hold that thought." Olivia told Fitz.

"Who is that?" Fitz asked. "An unbiased third party who isn't immersed in the smell of this cute little cat?"

"Talk about Doctor Suess." Olivia muttered.

Fitz got to his feet and gave Olivia a smacking kiss while still holding the kitten. "Doctor Suess never used the word immersed in his writing. Doctor Daring is more cultured than he is. You'd do well to remember that."

"Doctor Daring has been caught butt naked in a woman's pink bathrobe. And I have the pictures to prove it. You're not as cultured as you think you are, and you'd do well to remember that!" She went to the door and pulled it open. It was Hannah.

"Heyyyyy!" she sang. "I was wondering if you would like to go to lunch with me? My treat."

"That sounds like fun actually, but my sister and brother in law are coming to visit for the weekend and I've got to clean my apartment. Does it smell like cat in here to you?"

Hannah leaned in and sniffed the air. "No. Did you get a cat recently?" She asked the question the same moment her eyes landed on the small bundle of fur in Fitz's arms. She went to him with her right hand already extended. She began petting Shadow and making little cooing noises as she did so. "She's so cute."

"He." Fitz corrected.

"Right. He. Sorry. What's his name?"

"Shadow. Liv found him about a week ago. Isn't he the cutest little thing?"

"He is cute. Where'd you find him? Poor little guy."

"He was huddled into a ball outside by the front door of the building. I couldn't leave him out there." Olivia explained.

"So, you guys are just gonna keep him?"

"We are. He's gotten his shots and has been neutered already. That's why he's lying around. Usually he's a lot more playful." Olivia turned to Hannah. "I'm sorry I can't go to lunch with you today, as much as I would love to. Can we do it one day next week instead?"

"Yea, of course. I know all too well the stress of preparing for family visits. Whatever you're doing in here, it's working. You can't tell that a cat lives here."

"Thanks, Hannah. I'll call you one day next week for lunch, and it'll be my treat since I'm rescheduling today."

"That works too" Hannah said smiling. "Bye you guys. Have fun cleaning."

"She says the meanest things for such a sweet girl." Fitz said as Olivia closed the door.

"Okay, but you know what this means if Emily and Andrew are going to stay in your apartment, right? We are going to have to clean your apartment really good for them. And you are going to help. No turning on the television and watching games and tuning me out like last time." she warned.

"Believe me, I have learned my lesson. I'll do whatever you tell me to, Mr. Clean."

Olivia kept her eyes on him. He was being awfully damn compliant all of a sudden. Sarcastic, but compliant.

He wrapped one arm possessively around her waist and smiled down at her. "And maybe later, you can do some things that I'll tell you to do?"

There he was, she thought to herself. Instead, she smiled sweetly up at him. "That depends on how much we get done today."

Olivia washed and dried his bedding, swept and mopped his floors, cleaned his bathroom until it sparkled, and washed the dishes. She had Fitz fold and put away his laundry, take out the trash, and make his bed. The apartment was cleaner than it had been when he moved in and Fitz found himself hoping Olivia's sister was a neat freak, so it would stay like this for a while. "This place looks great, Livvie. They should be more than comfortable in here for the weekend."

"I have to agree with you. Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

Early the next morning, loud ear piercing squeals could be heard from what seemed to be far away and yet not far enough. Fitz blinked his eyes open and waited for the loud noise to stop. When it finally did, he sat up on the edge of the bed and swung his legs over the side of it. He grabbed his phone and pushed the home button. Why was there screaming at the 'I've been murdered' level at seven fifty- two in the morning? And then he remembered that Olivia's sister and her husband were coming to visit.

Correction. Here to visit.

He stood up, grabbed a pair of shorts, and pulled them on, as well as a t-shirt and padded out to the living room. There was a guy sitting on the couch looking at his phone while two almost identical women happily chatted in a small huddle. "You Andrew?" Fitz asked, extending his hand.

The other man nodded. "You must be Fitz. Nice to meetcha." The two men shook hands.

"You a coffee drinker? And do you want some?" Fitz asked.

"God yes. Those two will be talking their heads off for hours. Coffee will help block out the chatter."

"If your wife is anything like her sister, a coma won't be able to block out her voice once she gets started." Fitz chuckled. A panicked look crossed his face and he added, "if you mention that I said that, I'll deny it."

Andrew grinned at Fitz. "We don't need the two of them getting rowdy together. It's hard enough dealing with just one of them. Together...we don't stand a chance. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good to know." As the coffeepot began making the magical wake up drink, Fitz asked, "how long have the two of you been married?"

"Uhhh," he did the mental calculation and reported, "almost three years now."

"No shit? Is Emily the sane sister? Please say that she isn't and that I got the sane one."

"God no. Emily is crazy as hell and loves every minute of it." Andrew chuckled at Fitz and added, "But if you think Liv is the sane one, you're crazier than my wife."

"Dammit." Fitz muttered. "Life can't be easy for five minutes, can it?"

Andrew looked over his shoulder at the two magpies. "Not with those two. Easy is over rated. I'd rather have exciting and different and yea, even crazy than easy. It makes life much more interesting. Don't you think so?"

"This from the man who has been married for almost three years." Fitz got down two coffee mugs and handed one to Andrew after filling both cups with the piping hot black liquid.

"You don't want to get married?"

"Of course I want to get married. And have kids. Eventually. Today I just want to get through this visit without Olivia losing her mind because one of you found a cat hair that was missed in the last sweep." Fitz grimaced. "Shit! I wasn't supposed to tell you about the cat. Just...don't mention it."

"You guys have a cat?"

"Yea, it's a stray Liv found outside about a week or so ago. He's gotten his shots and has been neutered."

"Ouch" Andrew said crossing his legs.

"Yea, exactly." Fitz replied. "I've been babying him a lot more. I have no idea what he's going through, but as a dude, I can sympathize with him a little bit."

"You should go get him. Emily loves cats."

"No shit?" Fitz asked. "Liv said something about Emily being allergic to them?"

"Yea, when she was a kid."

"So, you don't think it'll be a problem for her being around Shadow?" Fitz asked.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure she's outgrown it by now."

Fitz looked at him with a disbelieving expression. "When was the last time she was around a cat? I don't want her to get sick or stop breathing or anything like that."

Andrew shrugged. "Last year I think it was? She sneezed a few times. That was about it."

"Oh. It sounds like she definitely outgrew it then. I'll go get him. He's probably not happy being cooped up in the bathroom anyways." Fitz left to go get Shadow.

The moment he brought him into the living room, Emily began to sneeze. After five rounds of 'bless you's' Olivia's eyes went to the kitten. Shadow jumped up onto Andrew's lap and began kneading his thighs and making himself at home like he had done a million times before to his two owners.

Emily scrambled off of the sofa and went out the door as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Why is the cat in here?!" Olivia demanded. She looked up at Fitz who had a frown on his face.

"I got him out of the bathroom."

"WHY?" she shrieked. "I told you Emily was allergic to cats!"

Fitz glanced over at Andrew, who had wisely clammed up. "Someone told me that she had grown out of it."

"Wow. Really, Fitz?"

Fitz went to the sink and washed his hands. When he was done, he grabbed his stethoscope and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked.

"I've got to go make sure she's breathing okay. She could be passed out in the stairwell for all we know."

Emily wasn't passed out in the stairwell, but she was coughing and sneezing and had watery eyes. Fitz felt like an asshole for bringing Shadow back into the living room. He listened to her breathing and asked a few basic questions.

"I'm fine. It's just my normal reaction to being around a cat. It's not the end of the world. Andrew on the other hand, might have just enjoyed his last day breathing on his own."

Fitz chuckled at her scary words as he listened to her lungs. She was built exactly like Olivia. Petite in stature, probably only weighed a hundred pounds, and did a lot of threatening. She also had big brown eyes but much much shorter black hair. She had an edge about her that Fitz couldn't quite put his finger on. It probably came from somewhere in her childhood. Or from being married to Andrew?

"I'm not kidding. If you say Andrew told you I had outgrown my allergy to cats, then I believe you. He, on the other hand, loves them. I can't really blame him. They are cute and cuddly."

Just then the door opened, and Andrew and Olivia came out into the hall. Once his eyes landed on Emily, he made a mad dash in her direction. "Babe? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Really."

"I am so sorry about that. It wasn't Fitz's fault. It was all mine."

Olivia looked up at Fitz with a shocked expression on her face. "What? Really?" When he shrugged at her, Olivia turned her anger onto her brother in law. "You dumbass! You could have killed her!"

"Calm down, Liv!" Emily replied, laughing. "I'm not going to die from being around a cat. It's a mild allergy at best. Besides, I had no doubts that it wasn't Fitz's fault."

"Is she okay?" Olivia asked.

Fitz winked at her and held her hand. "She'll be fine."

Andrew picked Emily up and set her on his lap and held onto her. "Are you alright? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked Fitz to let the cat out. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you, Em."

"Stop fucking around with cats and you'll never have to find out." She smiled through watery eyes.

Fitz stood back and watched Emily and Andrew. They seemed happy together. They loved each other and forgave each other easily. Even over important things. He turned to look at Olivia, who was watching the couple too. The two of them were happy together. They loved each other and forgave each other easily too. What was stopping them from taking the next big step?

He had already made some plans for their future. Plans Olivia had no idea about.

It was true he was waiting to see what the results of her bar exam were before he did anything big. But the results wouldn't come out for at least another three or four weeks. He didn't know if he could wait until then? Something was stirring him to move now. He couldn't explain what it was.

Olivia was smiling as she silently watched her sister and brother in law make up in the hall. Fitz looked lovingly at her, giving Olivia his complete attention. It was barely nine a.m. and the morning had already been a very interesting one.

The minute he began rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb, she turned to look at him. He had a strange look on his face. A look that told her something was up. She waited to hear what it could possibly be.

He had no doubt as to what her answer would be when he asked the question. Even the worry of her test results seemed like a small insignificant thing as he stood beside her, looking at her beautiful face. He felt sure of himself. So much so that what was supposed to be a question, came out sounding like the most casual suggestion. "Move in with me, Livvie. Let's get a place together."

A smile crept slowly across her face and she spoke only one word. "Yea."


	21. Hostile Witness

**Hostile Witness**

Olivia got past the initial shock of Fitz suggesting that the two of them move in together pretty quickly. He did get the benefit of having her jumping excitedly into his arms and covering his face with happy rapid fire kisses as her sister and brother in law looked on. The second Fitz put Olivia down on her feet, Emily rushed to her sister with her mouth open wide. "You guys are really going to move in together?"

Olivia looked over her sister's shoulder to see Fitz and Andrew shaking hands and talking. She looked into her sister's eyes as a smile quickly bloomed on her face. "I've been waiting for him to come to his senses and suggest it for a while now. You know, let him be the man and all that shit? But I was going to suggest it to him by the end of the month if he still hadn't said anything."

"Men are cute when they have no fucking idea what they are doing." Emily looked over her shoulder to see the two guys having an easy conversation through matching grins. "Fitz seems like a great guy. If he fucks this up, I'd better get a phone call filled with all the details so I will know better how to beat his ass creatively."

"You mean, if there's anything left once I'm done with him?" Olivia chuckled. "He's not like that. He's unlike anyone I've ever dated before. He's the real deal."

Emily shot her sister an exaggerated doubtful look.

"Okay, so he's not perfect. He used to leave his dirty laundry on the floor." Olivia looked back over at Fitz, who caught her peeping eyes and sent her a lusty wink. Her eyes dragged down his body and back up again to his watchful ones. Keeping eye contact with him, Olivia added, "I broke him of that bad habit very quickly."

"Wow. That's a real deal breaker." Emily replied in a monotone voice.

"MmmHmm." Olivia replied on auto pilot. Damn, Fitz looked good this morning. What the hell was she thinking? He looked good every morning. She wanted him right now. And wasn't that annoying as hell because her family was here. She could tell that he wanted her too by the looks he was giving her. She'd give almost anything if Emily and Andrew just went inside the apartment so she could drag his tall sexy ass into his place and have her wicked way with him. Even if just for a quickie.

Emily noticed that her sister was no longer paying her any attention. "Would you look at the snow in here!"

Olivia bit her bottom lip and mumbled, "yea."

Emily chuckled lightly. Her sister was lone gone over this man. It was good to see her so happy. Once again looking over her shoulder, Emily caught her husband's gaze. He looked from Olivia to Fitz and back to Olivia again before looking at his wife with a smirk. Emily jerked her head toward her sister's apartment and her husband followed her inside, leaving Fitz and Olivia out in the hall to act out whatever the hell was going through their minds.

That had been a week ago.

The truth was that Fitz had already found the perfect apartment for the two of them. He waited not so patiently until Olivia had finally signed up to take the New York bar exam. The moment she was given the date for the test, Fitz requested the day off and called a realtor to show him apartments within their combined price range.

The realtor had shown him several apartments but none of them seemed to "speak" to Fitz. The location was undesirable, or the price was higher than their range, or the apartments themselves were worse than the ones they already lived in. He was beginning to think they were better off right where they were and should just combine their living spaces into one or that they would have to wait until they had more money to put into a better place. Neither scenario was the way he wanted for them to start this new chapter of life together.

Just as he was about to give up and wondered if he should try to contact a different realtor and try to wrangle another day off from work, the realtor pulled up in front of a charming little building. Fitz kept his gaze straight ahead, thinking this was going to be a bust too. He took a deep breath, turned his head to the right, and looked out the passenger window.

His first reaction was...Holy shit!

There was no way him and Livvie could afford this place. He really wished they could though. The outside of the building was beautiful. Full of character too somehow. The building was much smaller than the place they currently lived. He wondered if the apartments inside were smaller too?

Don't be negative, Fitz! He chided himself.

The realtor rambled off his spiel about the building as the two of them made their way to the bold red front door. Fitz half listened to his voice as he droned on about the year the brick structure was built. A small smiling woman in jeans and a green t-shirt met them just inside and Fitz smiled back. The realtor introduced Fitz to her, and he was impressed to learn that she was the super of the building. "Hello" he said, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Grant. I am Mrs. Williams. Please feel free to look around. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know. I know it doesn't look like I can do much due to my short stature, but I don't take any shit from anyone and I get the job done quickly and efficiently."

Fitz was instantly charmed by her and the smile he tried to hide, along with the excitement of being a tenant of this building couldn't be masked. He knew that was the place for him and Livvie. He hoped the other tenants were as nice as their fierce little manager. He also hoped that Olivia loved this place just as much as he somehow already did. But above all, he hoped the price wasn't some astronomical thing. It would break his heart, and it was already set on living here.

Fitz had planned to show her the apartment he had picked out for the two of them to live in. He just knew she would love it just as much as he did. He was just waiting for the opportunity to prove himself right.

But as an old Yiddish adage says, 'man plans. God laughs.'

The moment he decided to take the next step, his life became busier than it had ever been before. He was either already at work or being called in to work almost every single day at the oddest hours. When he wasn't at work, Fitz was sleeping like the dead in an attempt to catch up before they called him in again. He felt like he was in the middle of a tornado. And not the calm part either.

As frustrating as it was for him to be constantly going from his bed to work and then back to his bed again, that was nothing compared to what Olivia was dealing with. She knew that Fitz had already found a place for them to live. He promised her he hadn't signed a lease, but she knew he was chomping at the bit to do it. But his schedule wouldn't stop long enough for him to show it to her so she could get excited, make lists of things she would buy to put in it so that it would be theirs together not just part his and part hers. Fitz kept promising to take her to see it, but the days continued to fly by each one busier than the one before it.

One early morning, several days later, the alarm clock on his phone was blaring some ridiculously annoying sound and he groggily reached over to turn the damned thing off. Fitz had to get up and get moving soon, but his body just needed some more sleep, so he laid back down to catch a few more zees. Ten minutes later, he heard the noise again and cursed loudly, scaring the cat.

Olivia gently said his name from her spot beside him. "Fitz?"

"I'm getting up." He mumbled. But he lay there motionless.

"Oh yea. I can see that." she said, chuckling softly as she laid her head on his chest.

He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm exhausted. I don't know how the hospital expects me to keep up this maddening schedule and live to see forty?" He was whining and not caring about it.

"But think of all the money you'll be making when you hit that age."

He smiled at her words even though his eyes were still closed. "It sounds to me like you want me to keep up this insane pace so that you can spend all the money I'm gonna make?"

Olivia lifted her head and looked down at him. "For your information, I won't need doctor daring's dough because I'm going to be working at a law firm making my own ridiculous piles of money. So there!"

He finally opened his bleary blue eyes and looked up at her. "Is that a fact?"

She scooted over and settled herself fully on top of his chest. She rested her chin on top of her hands and sassily replied, "it is."

His hands went to her tiny hips. "So, what you're saying is that you won't need any money to decorate our new apartment?"

"I never said that." She said, poking his ribs. "I'm not a lawyer yet."

Fitz rolled them over and pinned both of Olivia's tickling hands on the mattress over her head. "I object to you tickling me."

"On what grounds?" She asked in a sultry voice, as her legs wrapped around his waist possessively.

"I'm not really sure how we went from talking about money to being in the courtroom, but it's sexy as hell." Fitz murmured.

"Do you have a problem with it?"

"Mmmm, I have NO objections!" He paused their word play long enough to reach a hand down between their bodies and pull the front of his underwear down. "I feel like I need to enter a new item into discovery though." He slowly pushed himself all the way into her. Fitz covered Oliva's mouth with his own the moment she released a happy groan.

"Ohhhh god yes!" she purred. She was fully awake now and was thankful that was too. It seemed like sex had gotten put on the back burner when he started his new busier schedule. It wasn't intentional, but he couldn't stay awake at home for much more than a hi or goodnight and a peck on the lips before he left for work or passed out.

Fitz dipped his head and ran his tongue along the shell of her ear before whispering into it, "it seems like someone has missed me?"

Once her brain untangled itself from the delicious jumble of knots it was currently in, she recalled his words to her. "It seems like someone has been brushing up on his lawyer speak?"

His pulled his head back and asked, "you like that, huh?" When Olivia nodded Fitz grinned and added, "who knew that everything lawyers said related so easily to sex?"

"If I pass the bar..." she began.

"When!" he interrupted.

She rolled her eyes quickly and continued, using his correction. "When I pass the bar, you will get to help me read briefs, type notes, and do research – among a whole lotta other things I don't know about yet. And I will remind you that you believed that it was all very sexy."

"I said lawyer speak. Not lawyer do." Fitz reminded her as he thrust back into her heat.

"God, I missed you." Olivia gripped his shoulders harder and ground her center against his. "I need more discovery. NOW!"

"You're not gonna be happy until you have all of it are you ya greedy little thing?" he teased.

She declined to answer him verbally but slid a hand to the nape of his neck and brought his face closer to hers. "You talk to damn much." She lifted her head the last few inches so that her lips could meet his. The moment he opened his mouth her tongue slithered inside and began happily dancing with his tongue.

Fitz pulled his lips away from hers and looked down at her. "You're not screaming. You know that your screams are like music to my ears, Livvie. I need to hear you being loud. It's sexy as hell."

"Maybe you don't have what it takes to illicit screams from me anymore?" She said, giving him a smirk.

She thought she was in control. And wasn't that fucking adorable? She was about to learn the very hard way that she was in charge of nothing at this moment. He gave her his best innocent look as he gazed down at her. "Permission to treat you as a hostile witness."

He hated having to ask – knew that it seemed like she had control - but he knew she would say yes. From that point until they both exploded into an exhausted happy puddle, she wouldn't even be in control of her own breathing. And she'd be screaming, just like he wanted in the first place.

Olivia regarded him for a moment. He was up to something, she just didn't know what it was yet. The fact that he was asking first showed great restraint on his part. And decency. And respect. He was smiling at her like a well behaved kid. Something was up, and not just his impressive manhood. Still, she was curious enough to want to know what he'd do. "Permission granted."

Everything was pretty much a blur after that. A very sexy blur.

Fitz pulled himself out of her and scrambled off the bed, standing beside it. He grabbed Olivia's ankles and dragged her cute little ass to the very edge of the bed. He hastily put his hands on her knees, opened her legs wide, and drove himself all the way inside of her.

That brought out a scream from her.

"FUCK ME FITZ!"

"Doing...my...best here." Fitz grunted out. He smirked down at her as he began hammering into her at a dizzying pace. He watched her body move rapidly up and down against the mattress as he pushed himself in and pulled out of her.

She felt his grip loosen on her knees and she felt thankful for it. Maybe he would ease up just a little bit now? Her heart was pounding, her knees were weak, her breathing was irregular, and she was pretty sure she'd have Fitz sized fingerprints on her inner thighs by bedtime. She wasn't complaining, but it was a lot after being on the back burner for a week.

Just when she thought he was about to wrap things up, Fitz pulled out of her again, grabbed her hips firmly, and flung her over. Olivia was momentarily dizzy until she realized that she was facing the bed. Fitz pulled her ass up into the air and said, "you wanted all of it. You got it, Livvie" before he plunged back inside of her and resumed his previous manic pace, shocking her once again.

Olivia gripped the sheet tightly and took everything Fitz gave her. "Oh god! PLEASE!"

Fitz smiled at her back. She would never let him treat her as a hostile witness ever again. Unless she was enjoying this just as much as he was? He looked at her for signals. She had a death grip on the sheet. She was screaming. And her face was contorted into an expression that bordered between pain and pleasure.

Damn, she liked it when he took control! He would remember this and do it more often!

He slowed his pace to a lazy one and told her, "I'm gonna need for you to sing like a bird so we can wrap this case up."

She scowled at him over her shoulder. "What? I'm not singing, Fitz. You can forget it. This game is stupid."

"You'll sing. And you'll love it." he informed her with raised eyebrows.

"You're insane. You can't make me sing." she said testily.

"Would you care to make a wager on it? Keep it interesting? I wouldn't want for your last thought of the game hostile witness to be that it's stupid." he said smirking at her.

"Fine. If I don't sing, then you get to give Shadow his next bath." Fitz hated giving the cat a bath and told her after his last attempt that he would never do it again.

"Deal!" Fitz knew two things. One, Olivia WOULD sing. And two, he WOULD NOT ever give that cat a bath again. "If I win, you pick up my dirty clothes for one day and I get one naked picture of you in your unbelted pink bathrobe."

Olivia chuckled. He was fucking crazy! She knew she had just gotten out of bathing the cat at the end of the month. She was never picking up his dirty clothes again and she would never give him the leverage of having a nude photo of her like the one she had of him! "Deal! Shake on it please."

The two of them awkwardly shook hands from their current positions and Olivia waited to see what Fitz's next move would be. She was mentally going through the list of things she would need to buy for the cat's bath when she felt his fingers slide around her hip and slowly make their way to her center. "NO! DAMMIT FITZ! THAT'S CHEEEE..." She took a deep breath and just responded to what he was doing to her bundle of nerves. She couldn't help that her voice had a lilt in it. She hated hearing it just as much as she knew Fitz loved hearing it. "OHGODOHGODOHGOOOOOOOOD!"

"It's not cheating. We shook on it. Besides," he paused and kissed the middle of her back. "You love it when I touch you like this. Don't be mad just because I can play your body like a violin. Your body can't help but sing in response."

She was breathing hard, trying to hold back her orgasm out of spite for his cheating ass. But it wasn't working. Fitz really knew how to bring the sounds out of her, and her body was betraying her and giving him exactly what he wanted. He was a damned idiot, and all of that shit about playing her body like a...

Fitz increased the speed of his finger and his hips thrusting. "Let go, Livvie. You know you're dying to." His deep baritone voice broke through her inner rant and coaxed her to the edge. She jumped off screaming his name. He put his hand back on her hip and went back to rapid thrusting. He jumped off the edge not far behind her and then crumpled into a heaving mess on the bed beside her.

They looked like they had just run a marathon, with the exception of them being undressed. Fitz got his breathing back under control first. He looked over at Livvie and asked, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she replied grumpily as she lay on her belly.

"Somebody's mad because she lost the bet?"

"You're an asshole, Fitz! You cheated and you know it. All of that bullshit about playing me like an instrument is ridiculous."

"Are you gonna let me play hostile witness again sometime?" He asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"No." she said giggling. "I hate you so much."

"Nah you don't. You love me so fucking much it hurts. But probably not as much as this does." He slapped Olivia on the ass and chuckled when she jumped up.

"GO TO WORK!" She screamed as she rubbed her hurt booty.

"Fine. But while I'm gone, get a good picture of you in the pink robe as you sit in a chair next to the window. The natural light would just capture the mood so perfectly." He stood up and made his way towards the bathroom.

"I am never waking you up again." she muttered.

"Love ya Livvie." He sang out loudly right before he jumped in the shower.


	22. Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

The first free morning Fitz had from the hospital, he excitedly set an early alarm and took Olivia to see the apartment. They grabbed a cup of coffee before heading out the door to hail a cab to take them to their destination. Both of them were full of nervous chatter, each for different reasons. Fitz desperately wanted Olivia to love everything about the place he was taking her to see. Olivia was worried she might not like the apartment quite as much as Fitz already did, and it worried her more than a little bit.

The cab pulled up in front of the beautifully kept building and the driver called out the amount owed. Fitz handed him the cash, along with a decent tip and he and Olivia got out of the car.

Olivia looked at the entrance of the building. The walk way was clean, and the windows were too. There were pretty pink and purple flowers planted in small rectangular boxes on either side of the big red door. And then her eye was drawn upward, and Olivia craned her head back as she took in the size of the building. It appeared the building was only six stories high, and it was then that what Fitz had been telling her about the size of it had truly sunk in. This building was much smaller than the one they currently lived in. That was a good thing in Olivia's opinion. The outside was charming. There was something about it that made her feel welcomed. She couldn't wait to have a look at the inside.

Once again, Mrs. Williams met them inside the building with a bright smile on her face. "Back again I see. That is a good sign. And who did you bring with you Mr. Grant?"

"This is my girlfriend, Olivia Pope. If she approves of the apartment, then she will be living here with me." Fitz explained with a smile.

Olivia extended her hand to Mrs. Williams and said, "What Fitz means is, if I like the apartment half as much as he already does, then we will be living here together."

Mrs. Williams grinned at Olivia. "Oh, I like you very much, Miss Pope."

"Please. Call me Olivia."

"Olivia. I have the feeling you don't let him get away with too much?"

Olivia grinned back. "I definitely don't. And he can be an awful big handful at times."

Mrs. Williams joyful laughter filled the foyer. "You remind me quite a bit of myself when I was younger. My husband was a lot like you make Mr. Grant out to be. It made my life challenging and frustrating at times, but also very fulfilled and full of love and adventure too."

"Is he around? I'd love to meet the kind of man I'll be dealing with in no time at all." Olivia asked with a smile.

"Oh, no dear. He passed away about six years now."

"I'm very sorry for your loss. It sounds like he was a good man."

"Thank you, Olivia. He was one of the good ones with a good heart too." She pointed at Fitz and added, "You stick with this one and I believe you will find yourself a very happy woman indeed."

Fitz's smile knew no bounds, but he said nothing and let the women talk.

Olivia looked over at Fitz and said, "it sounds like Mrs. Williams has already peeked into our lives somehow." Glancing back at their possible new landlord, Olivia said, "I really hope I love the apartment. I can easily imagine having coffee with you sometime. Ifff that's allowed?"

"Of course it is. And that would be wonderful. Well, let me get out of your way. The apartment is on the second floor. Two oh three. I left it unlocked for you. Please take your time but lock it up when you are done looking around up there." She started to leave, but then stopped and turned around to them. "Here is my card. If you decide you want the place please let me know. We'd love to have the both of you here."

"Thank you so much. We will be in touch, I'm sure." Olivia replied, taking the card. She and Fitz silently got onto the elevator and waited until the doors closed before they began talking to each other. "You were awfully quiet back there."

Fitz shrugged. "I didn't want to influence you one way or the other about this place. Besides, the two of you seemed to be having a nice conversation. Who was I to interrupt with my charm and charisma?"

"Oh boy." Olivia muttered. "Now I'm glad you were silent." After a moment she added, "that was kinda great of you though." She put a hand on his chest, got up on her tiptoes, and pecked his lips, saying "thank you."

"You're welcome."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened smoothly. Fitz reached for Olivia's hand and asked, "are you ready?"

She clasped her small hand with his much larger one and nodded. The two of them went inside apartment two oh three and began looking around. Again, Fitz kept silent, letting Olivia see the space with fresh eyes. He listened to her point out several interesting things. Some of them he hadn't noticed when he did the initial walk through over a week ago.

He noticed the bland tone of her voice and waited to hear excitement creep into it as they walked around. It never happened and he felt more than a little disappointed by the observation. She never became overly joyful about the living space but kept walking through it, making observations and pointing out things here and there.

The kitchen was bigger than the one either one of them currently had. As was the master bedroom. There was a much smaller second bedroom, but it wouldn't hold much more than a twin bed and a dresser. That seemed fine by Olivia since it would only serve as a guest room for visiting family or friends. "Or Shadow's room." she had said with a grin.

Fitz had rolled his eyes dramatically. Like hell was the cat getting his own room!

The two of them made their way back to the door. "Well? What do you think about it?" Fitz asked.

"It has it's pros and cons." she said dismissively.

"Everything has it's pros and cons, Liv. Can you please be a little more specific?" he asked.

"Well, the space itself is more open than our apartments. The master bedroom and kitchen are bigger. The way it's laid out makes it seem so much bigger than it really is. I kinda like that."

"Those are good points. And I like the fact that it appears to be a bigger space too. It was one of the first things I noticed and liked when I first saw the place. What are the cons, in your opinion?"

"There are a lot less cabinets in the kitchen than we currently have. The bathroom is a smidge smaller than mine. And there isn't an island in the kitchen."

"Those are good points too. And things that definitely need to be factored in before we make a decision." He still didn't know which way she was leaning in her decision over the place.

Before locking the door and leaving, Olivia looked up at Fitz and said, "stay here for a second please" and walked out into the hall alone.

She went to two oh two, which was next door and knocked. A thin good looking man answered the door. "Yes?"

"Hello. My name is Olivia and I am looking at the available apartment next door. I was wondering about the walls. Can you hear every little thing that goes on the in the apartment beside you?" She pointed at two oh one.

The man looked to his left and then back to Olivia with a smile. "Hellllllo two oh three!"

She took a step back from his door.

"Relax gorgeous. I'm not into females. And I'm happily married." He held up his left hand, revealing a gold wedding band.

Olivia returned the smile and gave a flustered apology. "I'm so sorry for assuming."

The man pushed his hand in front of his face in a dismissive gesture. "Don't be. You asked me about the walls. So, if you put a glass up to the wall beside you, you can definitely hear what kind of activities are going on next door. Personally, I think two oh one is an alien and sheds her human skin every night to relax. That's what it sounds like anyways. My husband thinks I should mind my own business."

Olivia jerked her head back and she stared him with wide eyes. This guy was..."Oh my god. You're fucking with me!"

He chuckled at her. "I am. I hope you get the apartment because you are fun to mess with. I'm James, by the way. I work from home as a writer, before you get all judgey wondering why I'm not at work and create your own version of me."

"I'm Olivia" she replied, shaking his hand with a chuckle. "I had already decided that you were a slacker who was way too obsessed with his neighbors to be productive in the workplace."

"That's good. I like that you can roll with the punches. So anyways, the walls aren't soundproof, but they aren't paper thin either. If someone is really loud, like screaming loud, you can hear muffled sounds. You're not a screamer are you, Olivia?" He was smirking and waiting for her to answer.

"I don't know you well enough to share that information yet, James." she said on a laugh. "But yes I am."

"Please get the apartment. This floor is full of old people. It needs some wild hanging from the chandelier type of screaming."

Olivia put her hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. "You are certainly in the right field of work. You have a very creative imagination, James. Thank you for the information about the walls though."

"Everything okay over here?" Fitz asked as he walked up to the door.

"Ohmygod! When did we get a hall cop? No! Everything is not okay. I need to be arrested. Feel free to use handcuffs." James replied as he stared at Fitz.

"You are terrible, James." Olivia said shaking her head. "Fitz, this is James. He and his husband live here. I was asking about the walls."

Fitz nodded knowingly as a smile tipped the edges of his mouth.

"Yea, I'd be a screamer with him around all the time too."

Fitz chuckled at his words.

"Ohmygod! Shut up James!" Olivia hissed. "Nice to meet you but we are leaving now."

"Nice to...talk to you." Fitz stumbled out. He hadn't really been introduced to the man.

"Byeeeeeeee you two." James chirped before going back inside his own apartment.

Fitz pushed the down button for the elevator and the doors promptly opened and he and Olivia stepped inside. "Well, that was interesting." he chuckled.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't intend to have a full on conversation with him. I was just curious about how well a tenant could hear everything someone does in the apartment next door."

Fitz took her hand and brought it to his lips. After kissing her knuckles, he said, "don't worry about it. We'll keep looking. Our perfect place is out there some..."

"No. I want to live here."

"Wait. What? But I thought that you weren't interested?"

"Why? Because I didn't vocally gush over everything? I have a very good poker face, mister. Besides, you just happen to have impeccable taste. This place is really cute and I think the three of us will be very comfortable here. You did a great job finding this apartment."

"Thank you. Now let's go back to that poker face comment please."

"Of course that's the part you picked up on." Olivia giggled.

Fitz put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Looking down at her he said, "I'd very much like to put that face to the test."

She lifted one eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

He grinned mischievously at her and said, "our first night here we play strip poker."

Olivia's grin matched Fitz's perfectly as she looked up into his beautiful ocean blue eyes. "You're on, doctor daring."

"I think I'm going to like living here. It seems to bring out your bad side." Fitz said with a grin before he leaned down and kissed her thoroughly.

The two of them stopped by to see Mrs. Williams and told her they'd take the apartment. She was almost as excited as they were. Fitz told her he would get in touch with the realtor and they would go from there.

Three days later, Fitz and Olivia signed a year lease and were given the keys to their new apartment from Mrs. Williams. Fitz and Olivia went up to their new living space and she unlocked the door. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold as she giggled. Once on the other side of the doorway, he excitedly swung her around in his arms as she hugged him tightly.

"Welcome home, Livvie" Fitz said before he gently touched his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.

 **I've been watching old episodes of Scandal & was reminded of how much I adored James. I couldn't help it. I had to put him in here.**


	23. Boxes and Bartering

**Boxes and Bartering**

The second they signed the lease on their new apartment together, Fitz and Olivia gave their current landlord a two weeks notice that they were moving out. He didn't take the news of losing two tenants at the same time very well, but he promised to give them each their deposit back when they left if everything was the way it should be inside their apartments.

The happy couple decided they would use their time wisely and began to move things into the new place slowly instead of moving it all in one day. So, they consolidated their possessions into one apartment and began the task of hauling car loads to the new place. Hannah and Patrick hated to see them go but offered the use of their car for the job, which Fitz and Olivia gladly accepted.

By the end of week one, Olivia's old apartment was empty and pristine. The landlord did a walk through and gave her the money she had put down when she first moved in. She got a gleam in her eye that didn't go unnoticed by Fitz and he stepped in front of her, so she could see him, and sternly said, "whatever way you are daydreaming about spending that money, the answer is NO!"

Her eyebrows almost went into her hairline. "Excuse me?" she asked sassily.

"You heard me, Liv. You aren't a lawyer yet and we are going to need every penny to make the rent until you have gotten your notice of passing the test, and your first paycheck as an official lawyer. Please don't not spend that money on dumb woman shit like another fucking purse that you know you do not need. Or shoes!" His own eyebrows were high on his face too. "Don't get me started on the shoes!"

"For the record..."

He threw his hands in the air. "Here we go!"

"I can control my shopping urges. Just because I want something doesn't mean I am going to buy it! I have a little more sense than that, Fitz." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave him a smug look.

"Really? Then why is the cat wearing a necklace with his name on it?"

Her eyes went wide like she couldn't believe he would go there! "It's not a necklace! It's a name collar! In case he gets lost!"

Fitz chuckled. "Where exactly is he gonna get lost in the apartment?"

"Heeeeeeee could get himself in some tricky places." She knew it sounded stupid as she said it. But he looked so damn cute in that collar. She didn't care what Fitz said.

"Whatever you say." he pulled her into his arms and smiled down at her. "You're really cute when you don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Funny. I say the same thing about you at least three times a week." she replied.

One of his hands snaked down and pinched her ass. "So, we are down to one apartment now. When is all of your shit going to be out of my bachelor pad? Chicks don't like seeing other chick's bras hanging out of a dresser."

"They don't huh?" she asked, giving him a look.

"Well, I wouldn't if I was a female. It would make me ask a shit load of questions."

"It's a good thing for both of us that you aren't a female. And as for your bachelor pad, it'll be empty when moving day gets here. If you don't like seeing my bras hanging out of your dresser, I suggest you learn how to put them inside and close the drawer."

"Am I allowed to touch them though?"

"Why not? You're allowed to touch what's inside of them."

"Good point. Let me get a reminder on that." He tried sliding his hands under her t-shirt only to get them slapped away.

"Go pack something."

"Go look for the lost cat." Fitz chuckled.

Shadow was put into a small crate the morning of moving day. The experience was one he did not like one little bit! He scratched Fitz's arms and hands, practically to the bone, as he tried to put the animal into the crate while Olivia over reacted and told him to be careful with Shadow. To not hurt him. To make sure he didn't get his paws caught on the door when Fitz tried to close it. Fitz was not going to be the one to open the crate and let him out once they arrived at the new apartment. Fucking cat was insane!

He and Olivia had rented a moving truck to load all of their stuff into. Again, Hannah and Patrick offered to help and neither Fitz nor Olivia said no. The cat and the women rode in the car while the men rode in the moving truck. Once both vehicles were parked at the curb, Fitz opened the back of the truck and the four adults began carrying boxes and furniture inside.

"This place is really cute." Hannah remarked. "It's not very big though, is it?"

"I think that's part of the reason why I like it." Olivia confided as they rode up the elevator carrying the cat's crate and boxes.

The moment the elevator doors opened on the second floor, they saw James standing there waiting to go downstairs. "Hey, Olivia! Is it already moving day?"

"Hello James. It is! We are here with all of our shit so beware!" she said chuckling. "This is Hannah. She and her husband Patrick are our neighbors at the old place."

"Nice to meet you James."

He smiled at Hannah and peered into the grilled portion of the cat carrier. "Please tell me there's a cat in there and not one of those little yappy dogs or we can't be friends anymore!"

"Are we friends, James?" she joked. "It is a cat though. A very sweet cat who hates moving day apparently."

"Of course we're friends. And who doesn't hate moving? Well, I'm off to work now. What did you do with Fitz?" James inquired.

"He's with the truck outside. You should say hi before you leave." Olivia suggested.

"Thank you. I was going to anyways but having permission to look at him is so much better! Bye, Liv. Nice to meet you, Hannah."

"Who in the hell was that?" Hannah asked.

"That's half of a married couple who are our new neighbors. I still haven't met his husband yet, but he could be the King of Spain and we'd still miss you guys."

"You're just saying that because we're helping you move."

"There's a lotta truth to that." Olivia chuckled. "We so appreciate you guys for helping. It's really nice. We didn't really get to spend a whole lot of time with you and Patrick before we moved out on you both. You'll have to come over for dinner sometime."

"That would be great. I can't wait to see inside your new place."

It was much easier to get the things they had with them unloaded with quite a bit of their things already at the new apartment. The truck was filled with the big furniture and the items they used every day. Everything else had already been brought over and set in the rooms it belonged in.

Once the big stuff was put together and set into place, the females set up the kitchen while the men returned the truck and brought back lunch. Shadow had been released from the confines of his small space and immediately dashed into the closet of the spare room. Olivia had smirked at Fitz. Her baby already knew where his room was.

After lunch was cleaned up, the only thing left to do was to begin the process of unpacking everything. Thankfully, Olivia and Hannah had the majority of the kitchen done. That just left everything else. Still,  
they were excited to put their new things with some of their old things to make their first home together feel exactly like that. Home.

They said their goodbyes to Hannah and Patrick and closed the door behind them. Olivia sank down onto their new sofa and sighed loudly. She was already exhausted and the two of them still had a million things to do.

"We've got a lot to do in here. We should get to it." Fitz said. He extended a hand to pull Olivia up from the sofa.

"Just a minute. Come and sit with me and let's catch our breath before all of that." She pulled him down beside her and his arms came around her little body. She snuggled into his side, hugging him closer.

"This is nice." He murmured. "The quiet. The smell of new to us apartment. You in my arms being all sweet."

"I'm always sweet." Olivia replied.

"You were being sweet this morning when you were freaking out about the damned cat being put into his crate?" He took her silence as an admission of guilt and quietly chuckled at her. "That's what I thought."

"If you will let us put all of this shit off until tomorrow, I'll let you touch my boobs now?" She was bartering to get out of doing any more unpacking.

Fitz wasn't born yesterday. He knew what she was up to. And he wasn't going to let her get away with it either. But she had already put the seed into his mind and now he wanted a handful of boob. "How about I unpack the next room while you sit here for ten, no, fifteen more minutes but I get some boob action before I start?"

Olivia smiled but pretended to think it over. It was better than nothing. "Fine, but I'm a lady. I want kisses too."

"I think I can handle that" Fitz said smiling as he brought his face closer to hers and slid a hand under her t-shirt. His tongue slid into her mouth at the same moment his hand made contact with an unrestricted breast. "Mmmmm"

Olivia was flat on her back on the sofa before she could realize what was happening. She broke the kiss and said, "excuse me?"

"Mmm? I'm kinda busy right now. You should have noticed."

"Oh, I noticed. You're turning a feelski into sex. That was not part of the deal and it's not happening on this brand new sofa. Not yet anyways."

"Did you just say the word feelski?" He chuckled. "Why is that so damned cute to me?"

"Because I'm so damned cute to you?"

"Mmmm, you definitely are." He went back to kissing her and massaging her breasts before he lifted the bottom edge of her shirt, broke the kiss, and attached his mouth to a stiff nipple. After twenty or so seconds, he stopped what he was doing and got a frustrated sound from his little woman. "Is this okay to do on the new sofa? I don't want to break the rules or anything."

Olivia pulled his head back down to her now exposed chest. "Shut the hell up and keep up the good work."

A knock on the door startled both of them and they rolled off the sofa to the floor with a thud. "Dammit, Fitz."

"I didn't fall all by myself, Livvie. Who is at our door?"

"Hmmm, let me use my special powers and look through the wood and see." She put her fingers on her temples.

"You might want to use your special powers to put your bra back into place before the door is opened? That look is just for me now." He stood up from the floor and helped Olivia stand up. He took a moment to adjust his hardening crotch and decided he'd stand behind Olivia when she answered the door.

The knock came again.

Olivia stuffed her boobs back inside of her bra and straightened out her shirt. Both of them went to the door and she opened it while Fitz stood dutifully behind her. "Hey, Mrs. Williams. Come in."

"Please call me Rose. I meant to insist upon that the last time we spoke, but I forgot. I just wanted to come by and see how the two of you were settling in? Do you need anything? Sometimes new tenants forget a screwdriver or hammer. It's the little things."

"That's so very sweet of you to check in on us, but we are doing great. We aren't at the hanging stuff up stage yet. I'll send Fitz down in search of a hammer or nails one day next week, I'm sure." Olivia explained.

"That's just fine. Just let me know if you need anything at all. It's really nice to have some young people in the building again."

"Well, we're glad to be here too."

"We'd love to have you up for dinner one night next week." Fitz offered.

"You don't need to have me up here bothering you sweet kids."

"We insist." he said more firmly.

"Stop by and talk to me about it later in the week. You might have changed your minds by then?" she chuckled.

"We will. But right now, we have boxes to unpack. Isn't that right, Livvie?" Fitz asked with a lopsided smile.

She nodded mutely at him but threw her middle finger up at him behind her back. "We'll talk later in the week. Thank you for everything, Rose."

The door was closed, and Fitz dashed towards their bedroom with a giggling Olivia hot on his trail. "That did not count! We were interrupted."

"Don't be mad because you were trying to use sex to get out of having to unpack our shit, Liv. That's a new low for you." he replied laughing as he flopped down on their unmade bed.

Olivia jumped on top of him giggling and he caught her in his arms. She settled herself on top of his chest and smiled contentedly down at him. "I love you, roommate."

"Don't forget the with benefits part. And I love you too. Now gimme those boobs again." he said, grabbing her ass and rolling them over as their mouths fused happily together once again. The unpacked boxes could wait a little while longer.


	24. Waiting

**Waiting**

The apartment was quiet. Eerily so. Fitz was still asleep in their bed, sprawled out on his stomach, with the cat curled up around the top of his head. Olivia watched them sleep and wondered how the two of them were even comfortable that way? They seemed pretty content to share the plush space together in slumber. Still, she looked at her little peacefully sleeping family with a heart full of love. Life was damned near perfect right now. If only one more detail could be worked out, it would truly be blissful. She tiptoed out of the bedroom and headed to the kitchen, turning on her laptop when she got there.

It was six in the morning and while Olivia would rather be lying in bed beside her cute little family, she had something important to do. She was on a mission. She got up early every morning now to anxiously check the website for scores. And every morning she grew more and more frustrated when they weren't there. She hated mornings, hated to miss out on her sleep even more, but Olivia knew that any day now the results of the bar exam would be posted online. She wanted to know the minute they were released whether she had gloriously passed or miserably failed for the third and final time. There wouldn't be a fourth attempt.

This morning was no different. No scores had been posted. No peaceful sleeping in. She had decided that she was going to sleep in until noon the day after she found out her fate as a lawyer. It would probably be the last time she had the luxury of doing so before looking for a job at a law firm. Assuming of course that she had passed.

If she failed again, she planned to never get out of bed again, but spend all of her time there sulking and crying over her failure.

Fitz's voice broke through her ridiculous thoughts.

"Still nothing on the website?" He stopped at the table to plant a kiss on top of her head as he groggily passed by her to start making coffee for both of them.

Olivia shook her head back and forth sadly. "Nope. And it's almost been two months since I took the damned test. Something should have been posted by now. I think it's a bad sign?"

"The results will be posted any day now, Liv." He knew that she was aware that the scores would be posted soon. He also knew that she was probably getting sick and tired of hearing him spouting the same words of encouragement every single morning. He was also very aware that she was worried about failing the test. He was going to stay positive for her until she got the news. No matter what her score was, Fitz would be proud of her. Either for passing the test, or for trying to take it one more time.

"You said that a month ago and they still aren't posted. Maybe I should just call someone? Or go to the place where I took the test? Something has to be done. I bet I'm the only one who hasn't been notified of the test results? Like a glitch in the system or something?" She was aware that she was whining out conspiracy theories. It was an early morning hour and that justified her attitude in Olivia's mind. Besides, she hated waiting.

The coffee was slowly falling into the glass container so Fitz went to sit on the sofa to wait for it to finish brewing. He yawned loudly and watched Olivia close her laptop and start to head back to bed as she did every other morning after checking the website. As she started to sulked by, Fitz pulled Olivia onto the couch beside him, kissed her temple, and said, "patience is a virtue."

"Whoever said that wasn't a lawyer, Fitz. Patience sucks and I don't have any!"

He chuckled at her and held her tighter as she tried to get away from him. "Relax. Just breathe. The test results will be posted soon enough and we'll get to celebrate. All night long. Just like I promised."

"And what if I fail?" She really hoped she didn't.

"You're not going to fail." Fitz really hoped she didn't.

"But what if I do? Are you mentally prepared to pick up the pieces of my shattered..."

Fitz put his hand over her mouth. "Shhhh! Enough talking like that. You're not going to fail. And the only thing that's going to get shattered is my record for the number of orgasms I've given you in a single night."

"Wow. That's a comfort." she said rolling her eyes. After a few minutes of too much quiet, she added, "Fine. I'll stop obsessing over it. For now."

"Great." He didn't believe her, but it was a good beginning. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, we are both off work today and I thought it might be fun to get out of the house for a while? Maybe go get something to eat? Or go see a movie? I don't know. What do you want to do?"

Fitz knew she would be obsessing over the test results until they did come in. He also knew that it could be a day or another month away. If he was going to be with her, he had to keep her busy today. "All of that sounds great to me."

"What?" Olivia asked. "We can't do all of that!"

"Why can't we? There's nothing tying us to the apartment. We can go see a matinee and then grab some dinner before we come back here and I let you have your way with me."

She chuckled at him. He was as crazy as hell. "Oh. You're going to let me have my way with you?"

"Yea. It sounds like a good way to end the day to me." he said grinning at her. "Don't you think?"

"You are pathetic. You don't have to jam a bunch of stuff into one day so I won't be freaking out over the non existent test results."

"Who is doing that? Not me!" he replied innocently. "I really want to go see the new action movie with that guy in it. And I am always hungry, so dinner afterwards would be great. Sex at the end is just a nice way to end the evening. Besides, you said you'd stop obsessing over it. I believe you."

Olivia grinned at him and began shaking her head back and forth. "You're a terrible liar. But if you are game for a full day then so am I."

"I'm gonna need some coffee first. Maybe sit here and make out with you for a little while while I wake up?" He said wiggling his eyebrows.

She kissed him and giggled. "I need some coffee too. Maybe you should pour us some and I'll stick some cinnamon rolls into the oven?"

"That plan works too." he told her.

Fitz started to get up, but Olivia put her hands on his cheeks and held him in place beside her on the couch. "Hey. Thank you for trying to keep things positive for me the last few months. You staying on the bright side has kept me from sliding over into the dark side most days. I love you for it. Thank you."

"Doctor daring lives on the bright side. Unless we are visiting the naked side. He has a vacation house there. But you're welcome. And I love you too." When she stood up he patted her ass. "Now. About those cinnamon rolls."

"Where's my coffee?" she teased.

Later on the two of them were trying to figure out what time they should leave the house. Fitz glanced at his watch and pulled his phone from his pocket. "Let me see what time the movie starts and we'll go from there."

Olivia glanced at her own phone for a moment and then said, "Okay, I'm going to go get dressed while you do that."

"You're already dressed!" Olivia had on jeans and a shirt. Why did she need to change? He would never understand female reasoning when it came to getting ready for things. "We are literally going to be sitting in a dark room full of strangers. Why do you need to dress up for that?"

"I just need five minutes." She kissed him on the cheek. "Be right back."

"Famous last words" he muttered to himself as he continued scrolling.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them walked outside hand in hand. It took a lot of self control, but Fitz didn't make any sarcastic comments about how long a females five minutes really is. He was happy to have her out of the apartment and not brooding over things she had no control over.

He bought two tickets to the movie they both wanted to see - a sappy chick flick that hadn't even been on his radar - and settled themselves into their seats in the mostly empty theater. Fitz bet the room showing the action film was packed with fun people making noises over the explosive scenes. Chick flicks were fun too.

When he thought his balls were going to shrivel up and die, the movie finally ended. He got out of his seat faster than anyone in the history of the movies ever did, and made his hasty exit towards the door. He was never doing that again! Chick flicks were not fun. They sucked the life right out of you! At least there was food coming.

Olivia caught up with him and asked, "is everything okay?" She knew why he was rushing to get the hell out of there, but she found it endlessly amusing.

His eyes darted around the hall and landed on the restroom sign up ahead. "I gotta pee. Too much Coke in the movie I think."

Finally, they were back outside in the brilliant sunlight. It seemed to Fitz like it should be as dark outside as it was inside the movie theater. The light was a reminder of the time of day it was. "I'm starving. Where do you want to eat?"

Olivia knew he had been more than patient that afternoon. First her getting ready took much longer than she told him, and then sitting through a chick flick without so much as a snide remark about any of it. And all because he was trying to keep her from losing her mind over the unposted test scores. "You pick."

"Really?" he asked in a surprised voice.

"Yea. I'll eat pretty much anything. And I picked the movie. You pick the food." Fitz began talking about the possibilities for meal choices when Olivia's phone made a sound alerting her to something. She halfway listened to him drone on about steak and pasta as she unlocked her phone to figure out what the alert was all about. She abruptly stopped walking and was staring at her phone with a death grip on it while Fitz kept talking about food ten paces in front of her.

He turned around when he realized that she was no longer beside him. "Liv?" he called out. She didn't move from her spot on the sidewalk. People were getting annoyed and had started walking around her, shooting her impatient dirty looks. Fitz squinted at her. "Liv?" He strode to where she stood rock still, staring at her phone screen. "What is it? What's the matter?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes but said nothing.

"Whatever it is, we will get through it. Is something wrong with your mom? Your sister?"

Still she didn't speak.

"What is it? Talk to me, Liv."

Again, she dragged her eyes back up to his. She muttered out two words that came out barely above a whisper. "I passed."

At first, Fitz had no idea what in the hell she was talking about. Then he thought he had misheard her or misunderstood her. There was a lot of foot traffic on the sidewalk in the city on a Saturday afternoon. And then it dawned on him. Holy shit! Did she just say what he thought she just said? "Say that one more time. I don't think I heard you."

Passive Olivia took a backseat to squealing Olivia. "Ohmygod! I passed the New York bar exam!" She held the screen of her phone up to his face. "I'm going to be a lawyer!"

"That's my girl!" Fitz excitedly picked her up and spun her around right there on the sidewalk in the middle of the unhappy passersby and kissed her madly. "I told you that you could do it! I'm so proud of you, Liv! Let's go home and celebrate!"


	25. Celebrate Good Times

_I never intended to write this. But several of you asked about it in your reviews of the last chapter, so I went with it. I hope you enjoy it..._

 **Celebrate Good Times**

Dinner still ended up being Fitz's choice. He was just no longer interested in sitting down somewhere and eating. Olivia was feeling on top of the world, knowing she had passed the New York bar exam. But she was also starving! They were getting something to eat before they went home.

"I just want to take you home and do things to you." Fitz admitted with a grin.

"Well, if you would like for me to participate, or...you know, be conscious while you do these things to me, then you will take me to get something to eat. I need nourishment!"

"I've got..." he began.

"No!" Olivia quickly put her hand over his mouth with wide eyes and a big grin. "Do not tell me that you have something you'd be more than happy to feed me. We're out in public, Fitz! You can't just say things like that out here."

"First of all, I am offended that you think I would say that kind of thing on a street in New York City."

Olivia's smile faded and her expression contained a hint of guilt. "Oh. Well, I.."

"Second of all, I like the way you think." He said, cutting her off and wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She lightly shoved him. "I hate you." she chuckled.

"But please enlighten me as to what you were talking about? As if I have something on my person that I could feed you with. What could that be?"

"Is this guy serious?" A passerby asked his companion and jerked a thumb in Fitz's direction.

"You see!" Olivia exclaimed loudly. "You can't just say things like that out in public! People will think you're a pervert!"

He grabbed onto her hips and jerked her close so that they were pelvis to pelvis. He bent down near her ear and he pushed a strand of her hair behind it. Leaning even closer to the appendage he licked the shell of it and whispered, "Mmmmm, but I am a pervert."

Olivia turned her head so that they were face to face. She looked into his sparkling blue eyes and felt so much love for this ridiculous man who made her laugh, was her biggest cheerleader, and loved her better than anyone else on earth. She studied his face as his playful smile gazed back at her. She crinkled her nose as a smile tipped the edges of her mouth. "It's a good thing I like that about you."

"Can the two of you JUST get out of the way?" an irritated voice asked.

"She just passed the bar exam!" Fitz reported cheerily.

"It's not like we're trying to walk here or anything!" another grumpy voice said.

"Okay, I think the two of us need to move before we get run over." Olivia chuckled.

"Okay. But first, I would like a kiss please." Fitz requested politely.

Olivia smiled at him. "You're choosing this moment in time to ask for a kiss?"

Fitz looked around and then his eyes landed back on Olivia. He gave her his best smile. "Yea. Is there something wrong with this moment? It's a really good moment, Livvie."

She couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face, even if she tried. "People are getting annoyed with us here. We're causing a problem for the flow of foot traffic."

"Mmmmm, I love it when you talk about pedestrian issues." he informed her before kissing her cheek. "It's so sexy."

Olivia shook her head back and forth with a comical expression. "You'd think it was sexy if I talked about potholes."

Fitz squeezed her ass and groaned. "Stop it. You're turning me on. And we're out in public, Liv! Have you no shame?"

Olivia giggled, pecked his lips quickly, and then tried to free herself from his grasp. She was at his arm's length when he asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

She turned to look at him and explained, "I kissed you. Let's go grab some food now please."

"I'm sorry to be a pain in the ass..."

"No you're not." Olivia interrupted.

"Yea, okay. I'm not sorry." Fitz stated as people continued to walk around them and give ugly looks in the process. They really needed to get the hell out of the way. But he was getting his kiss first. Foot traffic be damned! "But THAT, was not a kiss. Not a real one. I need a real one."

Olivia tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. "Need?"

"Need." He strongly confirmed and pulled her back into his arms. "I need..." he raised his eyebrows and shot her a look. "...to be the first person to kiss Olivia Pope the hot shit new attorney in town."

She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck as their two heads grew closer and closer to each other. Olivia could swear that sparks flew the moment their lips touched. Instead of it shocking them, making them pull away from each other, they leaned into it more fervently and feasted on each other's mouths more greedily. Their tongues easily kept up the urgent and hungry pace the bodies attached to them had set.

Eventually, the heated kiss wound down and Olivia pulled him close for a hug. "Thank you for being so positive in spite of my impatience the past few months. It's meant the world to me and I love you so much."

Fitz smiled down at her and ran the pad of his thumb across her freshly kissed lips. "That's what I'm here for, Livvie." He couldn't resist and leaned down to kiss her plump lips once more. "And let the record show, counselor..."

"Oh shit. Here we go with the lawyer jargon." she mumbled.

He held her chin gently between his thumb and index finger with a smile and said, "I warned you months ago that I thought it was sexy. And I said...let the record show, counselor, that I love you more than you can possibly imagine. And I'm so proud of you. You amaze me every single day, Livvie."

"Get a room!" someone commented.

"We've got to go now, Fitz. Where do you want to grab food from?" she asked.

"New plan!" Fitz declared. "We are going home and getting dressed up to go out to dinner."

"Dressed up?" she asked.

"MmmHmm. I would very much like it if you dug out that sexy as hell navy blue dress you wore on our first date. The dirty thoughts I had when you opened your door wearing that dress! And I get to take you out of it this time."

"Nude heels too, I assume?" she asked playfully.

"Yes please. There's something about you wearing heels that turns me on. I can't explain it."

"Let's go home and get ready for dinner. But just know that we are going straight home afterwards, and you and I are going to work every calorie off."

"Maybe we should just go to McDonalds?" Fitz was feeling that familiar stirring in his lower half that could only be satisfied by naked Olivia. "I'll even spring for the apple pie. But we do not, under any circumstances, have time to have a conversation with your ex-boyfriend from high school."

Olivia giggled at him. He remembered the funniest things. "You'll live until we get home from dinner. And I'm not celebrating my new status with a clown and a burger wrapped in paper."

"Fine, but dessert will be brought home to be eaten at one a.m. By then we will both undoubtedly be starving again anyways. That's non-negotiable."

"Maybe you should have taken the bar exam? You have a hell of a determined side. It's sexy as hell too."

"Olivia don't start. I am seconds away from pulling you into an alley for a quickie."

"Do you really think the new hot shit attorney for the amazing state of New York has quickies in an alley?" she asked him as they finally began moving again.

"I think she gets it whenever and wherever she wants it." Fitz replied in a voice that was thick with lust.

"God, we have got to get home fast or you've got to stop talking. I'm barely hanging on here."

"TAXI!" Fitz yelled with great enthusiasm. The two of them slid inside a yellow car and made out all the way home.

Olivia finally emerged from the bathroom wearing the requested navy blue dress. Her hair hung past her shoulders in loose waves and her make-up was perfection. She was putting her earrings in as she stood there with her eyes closed and took deep breaths. It felt nice to get all dressed up for a change, but she was already imagining the two of them being back home and releasing the intense pressure he had so beautifully built up inside of her with his vivid words.

Fitz was sitting on the couch and had silently watched her enter the room like a lion stalking prey. His eyes slowly took in the sight of her from head to heel clad toe. Did she look better in the dress now than she did the last time she wore it? Fitz decided to think about that another day. She looked stunning. Of course, in his opinion, Olivia looked stunning in her pajamas drinking coffee. The things he was going to do to her the moment he got her home from dinner. "You look absolutely amazing."

His deep baritone voice startled her. Olivia's eyes jerked open and she turned her head to the direction his voice came from. He looked very handsome in his suit and she eyed him freely as she imagined he had done to her. Fitz had on black dress pants and a black sports coat with a white button up shirt underneath it. The top button of his shirt was undone, and Olivia could see his dark curls peeking out at her. His left leg was bent at the knee and resting on top of his other knee. He had a glint in his eyes that was all too familiar to Olivia, making him look dangerous. She liked to play with danger from time to time.

"You clean up nicely too." she chirped. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." He could play it cool if she could. He opened the door of their apartment and they went outside to get another cab. There wasn't a lot of chatter once they were inside the car, but each of them stole glances at the other one from their peripheral vision. It was going to be a quick fancy dinner they each silently determined.

"Where did you make reservations at?" Olivia asked.

"The Pheonix." he replied and continued looking out the window.

"Wow. How did you get us in there at the last minute? It's a hard place to get a reservation for." She was truly impressed.

Fitz turned to her and said, "Don't you think doctor daring has saved people's lives from all kinds of interesting occupations all over the city?"

Her eyebrows went up high. "That's impressive. Who was it you worked on? The chef"

"Nah, I didn't save anyone from there, but my boss did. He got us in."

Olivia chuckled at him. "And what do you have to do to pay back this favor?" She already had a pretty good idea what it was.

"I've got to work night float for two weeks, covering his patients. But it's worth it."

"You shouldn't have done that! You hate the night shift."

"I like the nurses better on night float. Besides, nothing but the best for my favorite new hot shit attorney." He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. She laid her head on his shoulder until they reached their destination. Fitz paid the driver and they smoothly slid out of the backseat.

Dinner was...dinner. The food was fantastic. The conversation flowed easily. The flirting was obvious but toned down as not to offend anyone eating their meal. The check was paid, and the happy couple wasted no time leaving the restaurant.

As they stood outside and waited for a cab, Fitz held her in his arms. The breeze felt good to him, but he had on a jacket. Olivia had on nothing more than a couple of thin straps on her shoulders. "Are you chilly?"

"A little bit." she replied honestly.

Fitz took off his coat, put it around her shoulders, and then began rubbing his hands up and down her back.

"That's so much better. It's very cozy when you hold me in your arms." she answered with her head on his chest.

"MmmHmnm. I know to people walking by or people looking out the window of the restaurant that we are a happy couple in love taking a moment on a warm spring evening to just contentedly hold each other, but..." he rested his forehead on top of her head and breathed in the scent of her perfume.

"But that's not what's happening here?" Olivia asked, looking up at him with an innocent smile.

He smiled back at her with a matching innocent smile. "Not by a long shot."

"Then what is happening here?" Olivia asked him. Fitz's eyes were bluer tonight somehow. Almost electric blue. It reminded her of the spark she felt between them earlier. She had to look away from them. "Or do you even know?"

Fitz brought his index finger under her chin and directed her gaze back to his eyes. In a steady voice with playful undertones he clenched his jaw and then answered her. "Oh, I know exactly what is going on here. I'm getting close to you so that I can feel you up without anyone noticing."

"What? That is not what's happening here, Fitz. Not by a..." She felt his hand slide down her hip and around her ass where he inched the material of her dress up and kneaded her bare skin. Her wide eyes immediately flicked up to his and she hissed out, "Oh my god!"

"Are you trying to kill me, Liv? No panties? Again? Do you even own underwear? Where in the hell is that cab? God your ass feels good in my hand." he whispered.

"Fitz! Stop it!" She demanded.

"Relax. No one can see what I'm doing to you. My jacket practically goes to your knees. You are well covered up. Nothing is exposed, I promise. Besides, it's your ass. I just can't let go now."

Olivia looked up at him with an are you serious look on her face. Somewhere in the corner of her mind, Olivia could admit that it felt good being daring. That the breeze felt good on the exposed skin below her waist. Why did he make her a puddle of lust all the damned time? The two of them could have stayed home and celebrated there, but he wanted to take her out for dinner. She wondered if this wasn't his plan all along? The look on her face changed into one of I-should-have-known-better.

Fitz leaned down and kissed her gently. When he pulled his lips away from her mouth he playfully asked, "I believe the new hot shit attorney for the great state of New York enjoys getting felt up out in public, doesn't she?"

The cab pulled up in front of the curb and he quickly pulled the back of her dress down and they got in. She sat beside him on the way home and occasionally leaned over and whispered one dirty thing she planned to do to him before the night was over. He was hard as a rock before they hit the first red light. He knew it was his penance for his sleight of hand in front of the restaurant. It didn't stop him from running a hand up her inner thigh and performing more trickery there.

By the time they reached the steps of their apartment, the two of them had attached themselves to each other's mouths. Fitz went to fish his keys out of his pocket until Olivia swatted his hand away and  
demanded to get them herself. Her hand took the scenic route and together they stumbled into the foyer and kissed their way towards the elevator.

"You just wait until I get you through our door." he threatened between kisses.

"I'm going to be all over you." Olivia informed him. "Just try to keep up with me."

"Already up." he told her and thrust his hips into hers, letting her feel exactly how up he was.

The elevator gave them a few moments to be as handsy with each other as they wanted to be without restrictions of doors or people or anything else. When the doors opened, they practically ran to their apartment. Olivia's shaky hands tried sliding the key into the slot while Fitz kept his mouth busy in her neck. The first round was not going to last very long, they both knew.

Once the door opened, she jumped into his arms and he held onto her ass and pushed her up against a wall and kissed her fiercely again. His tongue probed her mouth eagerly as his hands groped her flesh. "Now, now, now." she sang to him.

She didn't have to ask him twice. Olivia kissed him passionately as Fitz unbuckled his belt and slid his zipper down. He pulled the front of his dress pants and boxer briefs down just enough to free his hardening length. He wasted no time driving into her. "You drive me crazy with want for you all the...time." he admitted to her.

Three minutes later, the two of them crumpled to the floor breathing heavy but feeling very satisfied. "That is so much better. It's not all the way better, don't get me wrong."

"Hell no!" Fitz agreed loudly. "All the way better will take most of the night."

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" she asked him.

"Yea. I go in at nine a.m." he answered.

"Well, then, I guess we'd better get moving on to round number two huh?"

"It doesn't work like that, Liv." he chuckled.

She cocked her head to the side, raised her eyebrows at him, and said, "It works how I say it works and when I say it works. And I want it now. Got it?"

Fitz could feel a second wind coming. Her dirty mouth was magic. He stood up, scooped up Olivia, and headed towards their shower. The little woman wanted it, but she never said how. She was getting it in the shower, Fitz decided.


	26. Taking Care of Business

**Taking Care of Business**

Olivia was updating her resume. Truth be told, it didn't look great. She had a lot of work to do to get hired at a law firm and the first step was updating her resume to show that she had passed the bar. The next step in getting herself out of the waitressing life was to apply for jobs in firms everywhere in the city. That was today's painstaking plan.

Fitz had been on duty at the hospital all night, covering the shift for the doctor who had gotten the two of them into The Phoenix a few days ago to celebrate her passing the bar. He had staggered into the apartment, took a shower, gobbled down the eggs Olivia had made him, and passed out in bed. He would stay asleep for hours, Olivia knew, so she used her time wisely to take care of her short to do list.

An hour later she heard a knock on the door. Olivia gave serious thought about ignoring the sound and whoever was responsible for it. But she didn't want whoever it was to wake up Fitz, so she left her comfy spot on the sofa and went to answer the door. It was James.

"Good morning, beautiful. What are you doing in here this morning?" he asked, walking inside. "And where's your better half?"

"Sure. Just come on in." Olivia muttered to his retreating back. "Fitz is asleep, and I am updating my resume and submitting applications to law firms. It's an exciting morning so far, and I don't really expect it to get any better."

"Congratulations on passing the bar. Cyrus and I could hear the two of you celebrating until well past midnight the other night. You're both very energetic. And fit."

A horrified look crossed Olivia's face. "What?! You said the walls weren't paper thin! You said you could only hear things if you put a glass up to the wall."

James sat down on the sofa and began looking over the application she was currently filling out online. "I was just kidding. We didn't hear anything at all. But it's good to know I wasn't wrong about both of you celebrating until really late." He smiled up at her until she joined him on the couch.

"You are terrible!" she replied, chuckling at him. "You just about gave me a heart attack! I was wondering how I was going to tone things down so that the whole building wouldn't hear us." She reached for her laptop. "Give me that, nosey!"

"You don't really want to work at some Acme Law Firm, Liv. You need to aim a little higher than that." Olivia craned her head back and looked up at the ceiling. "What are you looking for?"

"My fairy godmother. I'm assuming she's going to come down and place the perfect job right on my lap. And I'm going to love it there. And thrive there. And get paid really well there. Get benefits too. Oh! And love my co-workers. That's important."

"Liv!"

"But I don't see her yet, so I have to be realistic until she does show up. And being realistic means that I have to fill out applications for places that I really don't want to work at right now but need to in order to get my foot in the door. Later, I can make a move from there to a place I really want to work at." It all made perfect sense to her.

"Are you done ranting now?" he asked.

"You haven't seen me begin to rant yet." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and shot him an ugly look.

"And as much as I can't wait to see that in action, I'm telling you to stop with the online submissions for a minute. I..."

Olivia interrupted him. "I'm glad you could stop by, James. I really am. But I want to quit my job working as a waitress where I make much much less than minimum wage. In this day and age, that is an absolutely ridiculous thought. Getting paid far below the minimum amount of money people make on their jobs."

"But I..."

"I mean, sure, there's tips added in there too, but I have to work my ass off just to make decent tips. And for what? To share them with practically everyone else who works at the restaurant? No thanks. I'm not interested in that anymore."

James took a loud deep breath in and waited for her to run out of steam before he spoke again.

"I passed the bar on the third try. And now I am ready to make a name for myself in my chosen profession. Is that clear to you?"

James stared at her quietly.

"Well?" she asked.

"Oh, I can talk now? Because I was just making sure it really was my turn to talk. I really...REALLY hate being spoken over."

"I'm sorry about that, James."

He held up his index finger and gave her an ugly glare.

Olivia clamped her lips together and listened.

"I have a few questions for you before I tell you my news and tell you how it is directly related to your current situation. Can you handle a few simple answers instead of going into a lengthy shpiel?"

"Yes."

"Ohmygod! Look at you learning!" He clapped quietly but proudly.

Olivia shushed him and then stuck her tongue out at him.

"First question, after you finished law school but before you took the bar for the first time, what did you do for work and for how long did you do it?"

Olivia thought back to that point in time. "Well, I volunteered at a small firm in the city where I lived. It was for the experience. All of the websites told me that it was my next step. I volunteered for about six months. Somewhere in that time frame, I had to get a real job so I could pay my bills and eat. Eventually, I had to stop volunteering altogether and work full time. That led to the gloriously lavish lifestyle that I enjoy today."

James nodded. "That's really very good, actually. So, that was all you did after law school?"

Olivia crinkled her face and nodded. "Wait! Actually, I reached out to the school where I got my law degree from."

"Whaaaaat does that mean? Specifically?"

"I joined their alumni association. Someone told me, or I read somewhere, that joining makes the people who went to law school there, and are lawyers now, more susceptible to help someone who has been exactly where they themselves were at one point in their life. So, I joined it." Olivia shrugged.

"Where did you go to law school?"

"NYU. Of course. They have an amazing program. My parents picked up the slack from what my scholarships didn't cover. It was the only school I applied to."

James put his hands on both of her cheeks and squeezed lightly. "You're making this entirely too easy, my brilliant queen!"

Olivia jerked her face out of his grasp and asked, "Why are you asking me all these questions anyways? What's your news, and what does it have to do with my life?"

James got up, helped himself to a cup of coffee, and sat back down beside her. "I have a...umm...we'll call her a friend...who shares things with me from time to time."

"Oh, so she's a source?"

"I didn't say that." James said with a wink and grin. "Anyways, this friend is a lawyer for a firm who is looking for some help."

"WHAT?! Why didn't you say something sooner?" Olivia demanded loudly.

"A...Be quiet or you'll wake up Fitz! B...You don't know the full story yet."

"I don't care!"

"She might want someone to help new associates with their paperwork? That'd be boring as hell for you and you know it, Liv!"

"Is this opening at a real law firm?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes." James replied.

"Again, I don't care what I'd be doing! It's a foot in the door."

"Basically, they are looking for an associate attorney."

"I'll take it!"

"The position is full time."

"YES!"

"They will train you."

"That's got my name written all over it!" Seriously, why was he still talking?

"Are you sure you're up for it now? You don't even know what they will pay you?"

"Of course I'm up for it. Whatever the pay is, it's bound to be more than what I am making at my current job. I'm just waiting to hear the catch." Olivia admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"You've just asked me a few questions and then laid out a dream job for me that a friend..." She used air quotes when she said the last word. "shared with you. What's the catch?"

"Oh. Well, this firm only hires graduates of NYU and one of their criteria is that all employees must volunteer for a year. You might get some push back since you only did six months, but we'll see. It's definitely worth looking into." It all seemed kinda perfect for Olivia, James thought.

"I'm a lawyer, James. I can deal with a little push back. And if worse comes to worse, I'll do whatever they ask to ensure that I get this job. Is your..." air quotes..."friend a pain in the ass to deal with?"

"She's a lawyer, so of course she's a pain in the ass to deal with. But she's brilliant, energetic, and doesn't take shit from anyone. I don't know if you'd consider those good traits, but I definitely do. You'll end up a pain in the ass too before it's over. Just so you know. All lawyers are."

"All three are traits of a fantastic lawyer. And I can deal with all of them. Separately or all at the same time. My question is when do we put this into motion?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do I go online and fill out an application? Do I wait for you to get in touch with Deep throat and tell her all about me and then wait for her to get in touch with me? Should I call them? What's the plan?" The gears in Olivia's head were working overtime at the moment and she was running all possibilities and outcomes in her mind.

"I told you about the job opening. The rest is up to you. I will reach out to...She is gonna love that you called her Deep throat...my friend and tell her only your name. The updated resume, the going to their offices and inquiring about a position in person - because calling on the telephone and asking is so unprofessional - the interview, I expect you to kick ass at...that's all you."

"Those are good points." Olivia kissed his cheek and stood up, walking towards the spare bedroom.

"Where are we going now?" he asked.

"I've got a million things to do before I can even think about going down to their office and asking about a job. Besides the paperwork stuff I have to do, I'm going to need a killer professional outfit that screams lawyer. Thank you for all your help."

"Do you want some help with that?" he asked.

"I think I can handle dressing myself?"

"Show me." was all he said.

"What?"

"I'm serious. Show me what you are thinking of wearing when you go down there."

"Fine. But keep in mind that I just found out about this like ten minutes ago. I don't usually keep a 'hello, I'm here to join your kick ass team' outfit on standby."

We walked straight to the tiny closet and James commented, "So, this is the room next door to where the super loud magic happens huh?"

"Let's just focus on the clothes, James." Olivia chuckled.

She glanced through her things and while nothing really screamed at her, Olivia put together what she thought was a decent outfit to wear for hunting down a job prospect. She help it up for his inspection. "What do you think?"

James looked it over and made a face that told her it was alright, but maybe not the best choice. He riffled through Olivia's clothes and had a much better more professional outfit put together in no time at all. She considered herself a decent dresser, but he chose pieces that she never would have thought to put together. Even the shoes were perfect with what he chose. "This is better, don't you think?"

All Olivia could do was nod. "When I get this job, you are going to have to come down here every afternoon and pick my clothes for the following day."

"And when you go shopping for more pieces, I expect an invitation to go along."

"Done! Thank you. For everything." Olivia told him.

"You don't have the job yet, Sweetie."

"Yes I do. They just don't know it yet. I'm going to rock the initial meet, blow their minds at the interview, and bring in a new client on day one. Watch it happen!"

"Determined Olivia is a majestic creature to behold! Kinda like a unicorn."

"Bet your ass. Now, you have to go home because I am feeling very confident and I am about to finish my resume, get dressed, and start dinner early - so that it's ready when Fitz gets up. And then, I'm going to tell him the news about my very first interview with a firm, and explain in vivid detail the very creative and very dirty things I am going to do to him the minute I get home from day one at my new job as a lawyer. They are things your precious ears have probably never heard before so you should go."

"You need to let that poor man get as much sleep as possible. It sounds like he is going to need it." James said smirking.

"Bye, James." She chirped as she opened the door and watched him go to his own apartment. She closed and locked the door and went back to her laptop. She stared at the screen covered in small neat font as determination radiated from her pores.

This job is mine. I can feel it in my bones. My career as a lawyer is about to start and I am going to rock that shit and make a difference in the world. Once I get this paperwork done I'm going to call the office and set up an interview. And they are going to see me this week! Wasting time is no longer an option.

Olivia turned her attention back to her laptop and began typing furiously as a smile slowly crossed her face.


	27. A Great Day

**A Great Day**

Early Friday morning, Fitz came staggering into the apartment like a zombie. He did his usual routine like he always did when he got home from a shift at the hospital. Shower, eat, crash. The pleasantries were a few sentences spoken between yawns or bites of food. He carried his plate to the sink, kissed Olivia on the cheek, mumbled "I love you" before shuffling into their bedroom and falling face down onto the bed.

Olivia knew he would be unconscious to the world for the next several hours. She had her morning all planned out, and it began with a fast-asleep Fitz. She had moved the outfit James had picked out earlier in the week for her to wear into the closet of the spare room. She didn't want to bother Fitz as she got ready for her first interview at a law firm.

She waited thirty minutes to make sure he was well and truly asleep before she went to the kitchen sink and loaded their dirty breakfast dishes into the dish washer. Then she went into the spare room and got dressed. As she silently put on her make-up Olivia recalled the visit she took to their office earlier in the week that led to her interview this morning.

She went the very next day after James had told her about the opening. Her taxi pulled up right in front of the building and she sat in the backseat, as the meter ran, and just stared at the place. It was a beautiful building made up of brick and glass. Somehow it was architecturally pleasing to the eye though. She took it all in. The short trees on either side of the building, the address boldly printed on the front of the building, the people she could see on phones or scurrying around inside.

She wondered if it would sound crazy to say that it felt like home to her already? Smiling, she realized she didn't much care if it sounded crazy or not.

"This is the right place for you, no?" The driver asked with a frown.

"It's definitely the right place for me." She craned her head back and looked up at the top of the two story building. She opened her purse and pulled out a bill, handed it to him from over the seat, told him thank you, and left the cab. She moved her head slightly from left to right, eased her shoulders back, and headed for the door. "It's time to handle this shit."

Her hands were surgeon steady as she pulled open the glass door with a smile plastered on her face. Inside, a brunette sat behind a large desk. She was about to greet Olivia when the phone rang. She held up her index finger to Olivia and chirped into the receiver by the start of the second ring. "Good morning. Barber, Haughton, Greene, and Wotawa. How may I help you?"

She listened for a moment, wrote something down, and said, "She's not in her office right now, but I will gladly get a message to her." She listened some more and then ended the call by saying, "I've got it. And I will make sure that Mrs. Greene gets the message as soon as she returns. Yes, Sir. Thank you so much. Have a great day."

The brunette continued writing and then looked up at Olivia and smiled. "Good morning. How can I help you?"

This woman was almost overly pleasant. But she seemed genuine enough. Bringing herself back to the moment, Olivia smiled and said, "Hello. My name is Olivia Pope and I'd like to speak to someone about setting up an interview for the position you have open for an attorney."

The woman shook Olivia's hand and with a smile that never faltered said, "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Pope, but our firm only has one opening at this time and it's so new we haven't had a chance to advertise for it yet."

Olivia's smile never faltered either and she recalled the words James had told her. "Hmmm, that's odd. I was told to ask for a Ms. Wheelan. Is she available for me to have a quick chat with her?"

The woman looked over something on her desk. "I'm afraid Ms. Wheelan will be on her way out the door any minute. She is due in court today and really can't be...Well, here she is now, in fact."

A fiery redhead strode with a purpose towards the door but stopped at the desk Olivia was currently standing in front of. She passed a stack of papers to the woman Olivia was talking to. "Hey, Quinn. Please let Denise know that as soon as I kick Stephen's ass in court that I will text her to find out where we are meeting for lunch. Also, these need to be filed. Please. Gotta go now!"

"Ms. Wheelan." Olivia said, catching her off guard.

"Sorry. I really don't have time to talk right now. You can make an appointment with Quinn, here. She has my calendar." Ms. Wheelan again headed for the door.

"My name is Olivia Pope." It probably was no use telling the redhead what her name was. She was busy. It seemed like today wasn't a good day.

The redhead stopped walking immediately and turned to Olivia. "What did you just say your name is?"

"Olivia Pope."

Her eyes flew down to Olivia's feet and then back up again. "I know that name from somewhere."

"Maybe from James?" I ventured.

"James, who?" Quinn asked.

"Ittttttt...doesn't matter. Yes. Him. I'm assuming you are here to set up an interview for the position we have open?"

Olivia nodded.

"How does she know about that already?" Quinn asked.

"It doesn't matter, Quinn. Can you please check my calendar and try to get her squeezed in one day this week? I'd really rather get this over with, so I don't have to think about it over the weekend. No offense, Ms. Pope, I just hate interviewing. It was nice to meet you, but I really do have to go now." She exited the building with her hair flying all around her.

"She's intense." Olivia commented. "But she seems great."

"She is great. In fact, she's so great, she is next in line for a partnership." Quinn smiled at Olivia and held out her right hand. "I'm sorry for being so rude. My name is Quinn and it's really nice to meet you, Olivia."

"It's nice to meet you too, Quinn. I'm sorry if I came at a busy time."

"Nah, it's usually this way when someone has to be in court. Let me take a look at Abby's schedule and see if we can pin down a day for you to come back and talk to her when she's less...frazzled." Quinn glanced down at the open book and after a moment she flipped the page. And then flipped it again. "How would Friday work for you?"

"Friday would be great." Olivia replied. "What time?"

"She's got an opening at ten and another at two." Quinn informed her. "It's the only free time she has the rest of the week.

"Wow. Busy lady. I'll take the ten o'clock please."

Quinn scribbled Olivia's name on the calendar in red and lifted her head to look at her again. "Ten it is. We will see you on Friday."

"Thank you so much, Quinn. Have a good day."

"You too." Quinn chirped as the phone began to ring again.

Friday morning Olivia replaced the wand of her mascara back inside the slender tube it came in and screwed the lid on tightly before dropping it into her small make-up bag. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Not too much make-up, simple jewelry, and a business suit that was made for the courtroom. She was ready to go!

"Good morning, Quinn. I have an interview at ten o'clock with a Ms. Wheelan."

"Good to see you back, Olivia." she said with her signature smile in place.

"Thank you. You didn't even have to look my name up. You're very good at your job!" Olivia commented.

"Why thank you for saying that. I have to be to keep up with all of the amazing ladies that work here. So, there's been a slight change in plans I'm afraid."

Olivia looked into Quinn's eyes with concern. "Oh? Is everything okay?"

"Yea, of course. But Ms. Wheelan won't be able to interview you today. She had to go back into court, and it could be a while before she is free." Quinn explained.

"Should I go home and try to reschedule?" She was pumped up for this interview and hated the thought of that as an option.

"No, no. One of our partners is going to interview you instead."

"Mrs. Wotawa is going to do the honors."

"Does a managing partner have enough time in her busy schedule to conduct a simple job interview?" Olivia asked. "I would hate to waste her time with something so trivial."

"Trust me, she lives for this stuff. You've got a good backbone though, right? You look sort of tough?"

Olivia paled. She wanted to ask so many questions but didn't want to appear rude about a managing partner who could very well become her boss within an hour. "Why do I need to look tough?"

"Ms. Wotawa has been here the longest. She's the strictest. Not like your mom might be, but like she goes by the book. You need to know your shit. Do you know your shit? Because if you don't, you should just go home right now, Olivia." She was talking a mile a minute without taking a breath.

Olivia looked at Quinn. She didn't look that rattled in her opinion. There was something in her eyes, just a flicker of it, but something there that hinted at this being a set up or a trick of some kind. She recalled the pep talk she gave herself earlier in the week with her eyes still on Quinn. This job is mine. I can feel it in my bones. Definitely trickery. "My backbone has never been better. And I can be as tough as I need to be whenever I need to be. I live with a man and a cat."

Quinn couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her lips. She straightened her face immediately back into the stern expression it had been before. "You are a little early, but I'll take you back to the conference room so you can get comfortable."

Olivia followed Quinn past offices, cubicles, and desks until the large conference room came into view. It was enclosed by a wall of glass, including a glass door. A large table sat in the center of the room with fifteen to twenty chairs all around it, all neatly pushed snugly up close to it. There is a smart board on one of the walls, a video conferencing system on another, and a couple of polycom speakerphones on either side of the long table.

"This is really nice." Olivia comments, taking it all in.

"Thank you. It has all of the up to date essentials every conference room needs to take care of business. Listen, you're gonna do great in here. I have a knack for knowing these things. If she asks, please don't tell her that I laughed at what you said. I was supposed to be the firm uncaring tough bitchy office girl."

Olivia gracefully took a seat with a straight face and said, "I'm glad you were acting. You're very good."

"I'll leave you now. Ms. Wotawa will be here shortly." Quinn whispered the last two words so that only Olivia could hear them before she left the room. "Good luck."

Olivia set her briefcase flat on the table and pulled her resume from it before she set it in the empty chair beside her. She laid it down a copy of it on the table in front of her and another copy at the head of the table to her right. She sat back in her chair, crossed her legs, and waited for the strict one to come in.

Ten minutes later, she did come in. Ms. Wotawa was a woman of medium height and had dark wavy hair and brown eyes. She indeed wore a no nonsense look on her face. She seemed serious and seemed to want to be taken seriously. Olivia could respect that. She stood up and extended her right hand. "Ms. Wotawa, I presume?"

"Good guess. And you said my name perfectly on the very first try. Everyone else wants to pronounce it 'wha-tay-wah' for some reason."

"There's half of the pressure off already." Olivia chuckled.

Ms. Wotawa wasn't laughing. Great. Don't fuck around about her name. Check.

"So, you've come here to apply for the position we have just recently found ourselves in need of filling? What do you think you have to offer that no one else does?" She hadn't so much as picked up or glanced at Olivia's resume yet.

"I just recently passed the bar exam and I'm looking to get my foot in the door."

"How many attempts did it take you to pass?" She asked.

Olivia gulped. "Three."

"That's interesting. And you're not a youngster anymore fresh out of college either. What makes you think that we want your foot anywhere near our door?" She stared at Olivia, trying to get her to fidget. It wasn't working though. This woman was tougher than she appeared. Ms. Wotawa was beginning to be impressed with this young lady.

"A foot in the door is just a saying as I'm sure you are well aware. You don't want my foot in the door. You want all of me in the door. Through the door. In an office. Working my ass off for you harder than anyone else in this building. No disrespect intended, but that's the gospel truth. It's what will happen from the time I arrive until the time I leave here each day." Olivia kept her eyes on the woman sitting across from her. "I may not be the best right now, but I will become the best under great leadership. And I believe you are the leadership I need."

"How can you say that? You don't even know me." The woman smiled superiorly at Olivia.

Olivia smiled back. "I know that you had Quinn try to intimidate me the moment I got here this morning. I know that you brought me into this huge room for further intimidation. And I know that you had me wait ten whole minutes while you probably sat in your office doing absolutely nothing to make sure I knew that I was not a part of this family yet. Am I far off from any of my assessments?"

Ms. Wotawa cocked her head to the side and took in this tiny majestic creature who spoke quickly and spoke her mind freely. She was a breath of fresh air. Far more entertaining than the 'yes mans' who interviewed here all the time. Olivia Pope had something going for her. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but found it amusing to try to figure out.

She finally picked up the impeccably crinkle free white copy paper sitting in front of her desk and looked it over. She had to give credit where it was due. The girl had gone to NYU, volunteered after graduation – even if it had been only for six months instead of a year – and had indeed passed the bar exam just recently. She was young enough to not want a lot of money. She was eager enough to work long hours without complaint in an effort to prove herself. And she had a presence. One that would serve her well in the courtroom. She was a prime candidate for the job.

"You only volunteered for six months your resume says?"

"Yes ma'am. That's true. I had to stop when I needed money from a paying job to make ends meet. I didn't want to, but I had to."

"So, if I called the place you volunteered for, they would give you a glowing recommendation?"

Olivia never missed a beat in answering the question. "They would."

Ms. Wotawa eyed Olivia again for a long moment before speaking up. "You are perfect for this job. You have good credentials, you volunteered, graduated from a phenomenal school, and have the perfect personality for the job."

Olivia sat straight faced, giving nothing away with her expression. But on the inside she was screaming loudly and doing cartwheels all over this room. On top of the table even.

"I would love to say that the job is yours, but that will have to be discussed with the other partners before a decision is officially made."

"Of course." Olivia answered.

"But I do have the authority to invite you back for a working interview. It's a way for us to see how well you fit in with the rest of the staff and it gives us a chance to see your work ethic."

Olivia's eyebrows went up. "That's a really interesting proposition. I've heard of a working interview, of course, but it's never been offered to me on a previous job before."

"I will call you one day next week and we will determine which day you will come in."

Both women stood up and Olivia grabbed the handle of her leather briefcase in one hand and shook Ms. Wotawa's hand with the other one. "Thank you for the interview. It was very nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you as well."

"I'll look forward to your call next week." Olivia said and left the building.

She kept her shit together as she walked back past the cubicles and offices and desks full of busy people. She told Quinn goodbye and walked outside into the bright warm sunshine and took a deep breath in as she continued to the curb.

A cab showed up almost instantly, and Olivia got inside and waited until it drove away. Once the building was out of sight, she told the driver, "Don't freak out, but I am going to scream with happiness."

He shrugged and kept his attention on the road while his passenger happily cheered and whooped in the backseat with the window down. At least someone he had picked up so far was having a great day!

 **Sorry for the lack of Fitz in these last two chapters. He will be back in next chapter!**


	28. Money is A Bitch

**Money is A Bitch**

"You go in at one and work until five?" Fitz asked. "I like the hours, and I hope you get the job."

Fitz and Olivia were cleaning up the kitchen after the dinner she had cooked. Spaghetti wasn't fancy, but it served its purposes and both of them had full bellies at the end of the meal. She was telling him about her working interview the following day. She'd kept him informed of the entire process with this job. From James telling her about the position, to her going down there to ask about the job, to how her interview went. The beginning of her career at this particular law firm was something they discussed practically every single day.

He supported her following her dream to become a working lawyer and encouraged her all the time by saying things like, 'don't you dare give up' or 'show them how valuable you are to the company'. He was her biggest cheerleader and support system, and Olivia appreciated him more than the man knew.

She rolled her eyes at his comment and rolled up the dish towel in her hand and popped him on the ass with it. The cat scurried from the room as if someone was chasing him. "Heyyyy! Watch it with that thing!"

"Did I hurt you?" She cooed. "Awww, come here and let me rub it."

Fitz crinkled up his face at her. "You don't rub a boo boo. You kiss it." He began to unbuckle his belt.

Olivia shot him a look of her own. "I'm not kissing your ass, Fitz."

"Then I'm not gonna kiss yours later either." he replied with a smirk and put his belt back together.

"Anywaysssss. Back to the topic we were discussing before things got weird. A normal working interview lasts for only four hours, and I get paid for those hours. Hello new shoes I've been looking at on west forty-fourth street." She said in a dreamy voice. She came back to reality and finished drying the large frying pan the meat and sauce had cooked in, and handed it to Fitz, who put it away.

"Like hell, Livvie!" Fitz said, closing the cabinet door a little more forcefully than he intended.

"They look nothing at all like hell. They aren't even red." she joked as she picked up the pot the pasta was cooked in. "They are mustard yellow patent leather heels."

"We can't afford those right now." He pulled the plug from the sink to allow the dirty soapy water to run out. He turned on the water and rinsed out the sink.

"Fitz, if I am going to be a lawyer, then I am going to have to dress like one. Buying new clothes and bags, and..." she leaned closer to him and whispered, "shocker! Shoes, so that I look like a professional woman at the workplace, is all part of it."

He wiped his clean hands on the dish towel and then put them on her shoulders and prayed for patience. He really didn't want to have this conversation. "Oliviaaaa?"

She smiled at him and put her hands on his shoulders just like he had done to her. "Fiiiiiiiitz?"

He sighed loudly. "I don't know how to say this without coming right out and saying it again. We don't have the money for you to buy a new pair of patent leather mustard yellow shoes. You have yellow shoes in one of the closets. I've seen them. I don't want to be that guy, but you're going to have to put a halt on all of your extra spending for a little while."

"Fitz, I know how to handle my money." She informed him. "I also work hard for it, so if I want to buy a pair of shoes then I'm going to."

"I know you were doing just fine juggling your bills and controlling your spending when you were single, but things aren't like that anymore. We may bring in two pay checks to this relationship, but we also each bring our own debts and bills to it too."

"I am well aware of that."

"And we moved into this slightly costlier apartment knowing that you were going to ace the bar exam, but we are still a little pinched financially until you land this job. And I know you are going to get it. You're going to do great things there. I really believe that. But until that is official, we have to be super careful of our finances." He hated having to say this to her. He had said it before. But now it really needed to be put into practice so that they could stay on the same page until things evened out some. It was just a matter of time.

"I know money isn't as abundant as it was a few weeks ago. And I get that we have to be a little thriftier with it just now. I don't need you to remind me of the fact that I am still a waitress and not a lawyer. Thank you very much for it just the same." The last sentence was said with a small measure of venom, and she regretted the way in which she said it but didn't apologize for it. She rolled her eyes at him and wondered why he felt the need to bring money up all the damn time? It's not like she wasn't aware of her own life situation. She was working on it in the best way that she could as quickly as she could. She really didn't know what else he wanted from her?

Fitz recoiled as if he'd been slapped across the face. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Reminding you of what you're not? That's not what I'm doing at all, Liv. I just..."

"Isn't it?" She asked in an agitated tone as she threw her hands up in the air angrily. "You think that just because you more or less already had your ducks in a row when we met and are a big time doctor that you're...what? Better than me?"

"Where the hell did you get that I think I'm better than you? All I said was that we have to be careful about money for a little while." He demanded. "I don't think I'm better than you are. I've never thought that I'm better than you in fact. I'm trying to be supportive, and patient as you do everything in your power to make your dream a reality. You might have missed the part when I said I know you're going to get the job and do great things there, but that's what it all boils down to. I'm just talking about tampering your spending a little bit."

"I'm sorry that being a patient and supportive boyfriend is such a burden, Fitz! I'm doing my best here!" Olivia was gesturing wildly with her hands and her voice was beginning to grow louder than it had been at the beginning of this conversation. "I'm putting in applications! And going to interviews! I can't make anyone hire me, because we need the money, Fitz."

"I know all of that. I know you are going to succeed. I've said that since day one, but you are twisting my words and making it sound like I'm some sort of asshole for making a comment about money. You're making me feel like one too. I don't know how we ended up out here in left field, but I won't bring it up again. Jesus! I didn't think one comment would lead to the end of the world."

"Don't do that!"

"What the hell did I do now?" he asked with wide eyes and a scowl.

"You know exactly what you're doing! You're making it sound like you're innocent in all of this and I'm the psycho for getting mad at what you said. That's not fair."

"I literally didn't say that or mean for anything that I said to sound anything remotely like that!" He was beyond exasperated and wildly confused about how a conversation about yellow shoes had led to a full on argument about money and how he was decidedly better than her? "I'm just going to stop talking altogether! Fuck, Liv!"

"See? You go from ranting about money to I'm just gonna stop talking altogether. Bla bla bla." She was moving her head back and forth and making a face while she spoke. Olivia wondered why he was acting like he was the master of their finances and could tell her how to spend her money and what she could spend it on? That wasn't happening. She had been joking about the shoes. For now. She knew they couldn't afford them at the moment. She wasn't an imbecile! But she did plan on buying them with her first paycheck from Barber, Haughton, Greene, and Wotawa. That job was all hers. She already knew it, and Fitzgerald Grant wasn't going to tell her otherwise. About the job or the fucking shoes!

"And don't you do THAT!" he said, raising his voice a little bit.

"Don't do what?!" She spewed out.

"Don't...mimic me. You know how much I fucking hate it when you do that shit!"

"Awww, am I hurting your feelings, Fitz? That's too damn bad. You hurt mine ten minutes ago when you basically said you don't believe in me. Grow the fuck up!"

"I still don't know what the hell I did to hurt your feelings!? Can you please explain it to me?" he asked incredulously.

Olivia stared at him for a moment and then shook her head back and forth. "You know what? I'm done arguing with you. I'm going to bed."

"Are you serious right now? It's five o'clock and I have to head to the hospital soon." he asked her retreating back.

"Nite." Olivia mumbled and continued walking into their bedroom where she closed the door firmly behind her.

Shadow looked from the closed door back to Fitz. His co-owner waved his hands in front of his body and said, "Be glad you're a cat – a male cat - and not a human."

The cat stared at him for what felt like an eternity and then proceeded to lick himself right there on the living room floor.

Fitz silently threw his hands in the air, completely bewildered at what had just happened! How did they go from having a conversation about Olivia's working interview to her storming out of the room to go to bed early because she basically couldn't stand to look at his face? Women were a fucking mystery!

He sat on the sofa trying to figure out if he should apologize first when the cat jumped up onto his lap. Shadow kneaded his owner's tender upper thighs and then plopped down on them and proceeded to go to sleep. Fitz pet his black fur, content to listen to the cat purr like a well oiled engine. A well oiled engine that did nothing but lay around all day.

The guilt started weighing heavy on him. He didn't want Olivia to go to bed mad at him. He didn't want her to be mad at him at all, but he really didn't want her to be at home in the apartment alone with angry thoughts of him going through her mind. He wanted her to be able to sleep good tonight so that she would be well rested for her working interview tomorrow. He didn't think he had said or done anything wrong though. Had he?

Olivia lay on top of the blankets on their bed staring up at the ceiling. She was still mad but most of it had worn off now. She hated it when they argued. Thankfully, it wasn't often that they did. This was their biggest fight yet and she felt terrible inside. She didn't want Fitz to go to work knowing they weren't speaking to each other. What if he made a mistake at the hospital because he wasn't focused on what he was doing? Olivia didn't want to be responsible for that.

She also didn't want him to be out in the living room all alone with his thoughts and still being mad at her. Olivia hated the thought of that, and tears started to slowly fall down her cheeks. She wanted things to be right between them again. She'd suck it up and apologize to him first. Even if she didn't think she had been wrong in what she said.

She got up off the bed and went to the door. Her hand reached for the knob when it turned and Fitz opened the door and stepped inside, catching them both off guard. They quietly stared at each other with sad eyes for what felt like an eternity. Both voices broke through the hated silence when they jointly said, "I'm sorry" at the same time.

Fitz brought his left hand to her cheek and wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. "Have you been crying?" he asked as his heart ached.

Olivia nodded and turned her cheek towards his hand and closed her eyes.

"Livvie." he whispered. "I'm so sorry. Don't cry."

She opened her eyes and looked up into his. They were blue gray and full of sadness. "I'm sorry too. I never want to fight like that again." She couldn't wait any longer to touch him and wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly as the tears continued to fall.

Fitz felt like an ass knowing she had been crying. He put his arms around her waist and held her just as firmly. "I don't want to fight like that again either. I love you so much."

After a few minutes, he pulled away from her and said, "I don't want to leave you home alone like this, but I have to get ready to go to work. Will you be alright?"

Olivia gave him a small smile and said, "I have the cat to keep me company. And as long as things between us are settled, I'll be fine." Her smile grew a little bigger and she added, "but I wouldn't complain if you text me during your shift when you have a spare minute."

He smiled back at this amazing and beautiful tiny creature who owned his whole heart. "I can do that. But you know, I don't consider things fully right between us yet."

"What do you mean, Fitz? You've got to get to the hospital." she said sniffing.

"Gimme a kiss. It'll settle my heart until I get back home to you in the morning. I know that probably sounds stupid but..."

"It doesn't sound stupid. I need that too. For the same reason."

Fitz smiled down at her. The love he felt for her was so big that it was overwhelming sometimes. His left hand found her cheek and his thumb swiped across her lips once before he began to lean down to replace his thumb with his mouth. Their heads slowly moved toward each other until their lips touched in a closed mouth connection.

That changed as the kiss did. Both of their mouths opened, and both of their eyes closed as they focused on the simple bonding of their lips. Their tongues moved together in a slow sensual dance they were very familiar with. Four hands anxiously slid over clothing covered skin while pulling the other's body closer than the invisible distance between them. Their hearts and souls followed right along making everything right between them once again.

Before long, heavy breathing could be heard mingled in between the intimate whispered promises of things to come the next time they were alone together. She knew she would hate herself for it as soon as she did it, but Olivia ended the heated kiss by nibbling on his lower lip and pecking it to ease the sting. She rested her forehead against his. "You've got to get ready for work or you'll be late. And you hate being late."

He pecked her lips once more, wanting nothing more than a little extra time with her. Time that they both knew he didn't have. "We're okay now, right?"

"Yea, we're okay now." She kissed him once she spoke her agreement, but it was far from a peck. She knew she was making things worse for him, but she really didn't want him to go even though she knew he had to. "I love you. Always and forever."

He smiled at her words. "Always and forever. God, I love you, Livvie."

It was difficult, but Olivia took a few steps back away from him in case he tried to grab her and start the kissing again. "Go get ready for work. Doctor Daring has important shit to do."

He lunged for her, but she easily evaded him with a grin. "I'm going to wake you up in the morning doing something you love me to do."

"You're going to do the laundry?" She joked.

"Smartass." He walked into the bathroom to get dressed and left for work with one last kiss. She'd get a kiss of an entirely different kind on another set of lips when he got home. And the sheets would definitely need to be washed when he finally let her get out of bed.

 **Every couple argues. Even these two. Admittedly, I'm not very good at writing those types of scenes, so I am working on it to better myself. Money is the main source of arguments between a couple so I tried to go with something realistic. This isn't going to be a trend in this story. They are perfectly fine. They are Olitz!**


	29. All Rise

**All Rise**

"How did you do that? I've seen some crazy shit in my life, but nothing that falls into the category of miraculous crazy shit like I witnessed this afternoon."

"I can't believe she offered me the job before my working interview was even halfway over." Olivia said before taking a sip of her wine.

"I can. You were fucking amazing, Liv! Did you see yourself? You singlehandedly brought in a brand new client just by asking that man what time it was! Who does that?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal." Olivia shrugged. In truth, it hadn't been a big deal.

While rushing back from lunch, she had asked the older gentleman what time it was. When he revealed the time piece on his wrist, Olivia called out the name of the watch. The older man was surprised that she knew it. She had explained that she owned more than one of their watches herself but had been so nervous about her first day that she had forgotten to put one on before leaving home. That led to an interesting conversation between the two of them, followed by an invitation for her to see how the pieces are crafted as well as lunch to discuss the prospect of him becoming a client.

"Don't say that. It was a big deal. Huge! None of the partners has ever brought in a potential new client on their very first day."

Olivia took a moment to let that marinate. When she thought about it like that, it might actually be kind of a big deal? "Really?"

"Yea. Really. Another reason why it's such a big deal is because that particular client is huge! Tons of money, which means tons of billable hours. They are going to love you forever. Probably make you partner by the end of next year."

"I doubt that very much!" Olivia chuckled. "But it is nice to be employed as an attorney now."

"I'll bet. Congratulations by the way!"

Both women took a healthy swallow from their drinks.

"What was it you did before you very recently passed the bar?"

"I was a waitress." Her companion's face registered one of amazement. "Shocking, I know. I can't wait to quit that job when I get home."

"Actually, now that I think about it, I'll bet that job prepared you well for the job you currently find yourself in?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you have to put up with crazy people, memorize important information, be courteous even when you don't want to be, and bust your ass in a timely manner for little to no thanks. It's the same thing for lawyers."

"Wow. You are really making me glad I switched professions." She took another sip of her tasty deep red wine and added, "But let's change the subject. How did you come to be James' deep throat?"

James' source groaned loudly. "Please do not even bring up his name."

"I love him. He is funny, and sweet, and thoughtful, and I really admire him." Olivia admitted.

"Never tell him you feel that way about him. You'll make his already impossibly large ego infinitely worse."

"I'll keep that in mind, although I think it's far too late to be worried about it now?" Olivia chuckled. "How did you meet him for the first time? Was it all cloak and dagger with trench coats on a rainy night?"

"Jesus. What kind of weird shit do you watch on television to conjure up a vivid image like that?" The redhead asked grinning.

"It had to be interesting. James is very guarded when he talks about you. He didn't even tell me what your name was. He only said that he had a friend who worked at the firm."

"James is full of shit. We are not friends. You and I could be friends. Probably great friends, but he and I are never going to be close. I help him and he helps me. That's really all there is to our arrangement." She gave a small shrug of one shoulder and said, "he is a nice guy though. And he's respectful. Handsome too. It's a damn shame he isn't interested in women."

"It sounds to me like the two of you are friends, Abby." Olivia said with a knowing smile.

"Shut up. We're not. I was very curious about you when he basically called me up and demanded that the firm hire you. Like I work in the Human Resources department." She gave an eyeroll. "All he would tell me is your name and that you were a beast and I was an idiot if we didn't hire you before someone else did."

"Awwww. That's so sweet. I'm going to have to invite him and his husband over for dinner soon as a small way of saying thank you." Olivia's phone started vibrating and both women glanced down at the device as it lay on the table. Fitz's smiling face looked back up at them.

"Holy shit! Who is that?"

"That is my boyfriend, Fitz." Olivia informed her before swiping her finger across the screen and chirping, "hi."

"Hi. What are you up to?"

"I am enjoying a glass of wine with my new co-worker, Abby. What are you doing?"

"I just got home from work."

"You did?"

"MmmmHmmm."

"And how was your day?"

"It was fine. Doctor Daring was kept busy saving the lives of New Yorkers."

"Doctor Daring is the city's real super hero. What's for dinner tonight?"

"What are you in the mood for?" He asked in a flirty tone.

Olivia cut her eyes to Abby, who was grinning and openly listening to the one sided conversation with her full attention. "I have ideas, but I can't really say them because I am with my new co-worker."

"Don't mind me." Abby said with a grin and a wave of her hand. "Go ahead and tell him your ideas."

"And this new co-worker is listening to our conversation huh?"

"You got it!"

"Oh, I'm gonna get it alright, counselor! How much longer do you think you'll be? I'm starving."

Olivia anxiously threw her hand up in the air to wave down their waiter for the check. She could tell that Fitz was all worked up and she didn't want to miss out on an opportunity. "I'm about to pay the check and head home. I should be there by the time you get out of the shower."

"That's my girl." He purred. "If you hurry you can join me in there. Unless...you want to stay and visit with your co-worker a little longer?" He could practically see her scurrying for her money. The visual made him grin.

"Nope! I'll see her Monday."

"You know what today is, right?" He asked, catching her off guard.

"Friday?" She asked with a huge grin.

"Yes, but it was also your working interview."

"It was. And you haven't even asked me how it went." She started to pout and then realized that he couldn't see her.

"I don't need to ask. I know it went well."

"Doctor Daring is psychic now too? Your superpowers are really coming out lately." Olivia played with the stem of her glass and listened for his reply, knowing it would be intense.

"I'm psychic enough to know that you love the superpowers that my tongue possesses."

Holy fuck he wasn't playing around anymore! It was time to end this call and get home to him and his superpower wielding tongue. But first, her shaky hand lifted her glass and emptied the contents inside. She set her glass down and was about to tell him she agreed with what he had just said, but he spoke first.

"You made some interesting promises about what would happen the day you got home from your first day of work at the firm. I haven't forgotten any of them." He threatened in a low sexy voice.

She took a deep breath in and replied in what she hoped was a casual voice, "It wasn't my first day. It was a working interview. It's not really the same thing."

"Did they offer you a position there?"

"That's not really the p.."

"Yes or no, Livvie?" he demanded.

He really knew how to make her thighs tremble. Damn him. "Yes."

"So, it was your unofficial first day. The terms of your offer still stand, and I mean to collect every last dirty one of them so get your ass home so I can do that."

"Keep the water running in that shower. I love you."

"Mmmmm. I love you."

Olivia handed the confused waiter some money that covered the drink and a moderate tip as Abby watched with fascination. "Whatever the hell Fitz just said has you all worked up. I expect an invitation to dinner with the two of you sometime soon too, Liv. I wanna see what the fuss is all about."

Olivia quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, and muttered, "Sorry. Gotta go now. See you Monday." and headed for the door.

She unlocked the apartment door, dropped her bag on the table, and immediately heard his rich baritone voice singing from the shower. He was singing one of her favorite songs and he had the perfect voice for it. The fact that he was singing it while he was probably lathered up and naked was a visual that she had to check out for herself.

She began undressing as she made her way towards the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothing on the floor behind her. By the time she reached the tiny room with the big voice coming from it, she was wearing nothing but a proud grin. She could see his manly silhouette behind the pretty beach themed shower curtain, and Olivia watched him for a few seconds knowing he didn't realize she was there. Yet.

Her hands began to get twitchy and she was no longer interested in watching him. She was desperate to touch him. She wanted nothing more than to...

"Are you going to sit out there and stare at my ass all day or are you getting in here with me? The view is much better on the inside."

Olivia's eyes darted up to his head. How did he know she was in there? He never poked his head out of the shower, never acknowledged her presence. "I was listening to the free concert." She admitted. "Your singing voice is pretty good."

Fitz jerked back the shower curtain and scowled at her. "Pretty good?!"

Olivia's eyes freely roamed his exposed wet flesh. In his rush to demand more praise than 'pretty good' he had revealed more than just his face. Olivia dragged her eyes slowly down his chest, mesmerized as water droplets collected and fell in tiny wet streams down his fuzzy chiseled skin. From there, the water freely and quickly ran down his hips and thighs, all the way down to his humongous feet. Her eyes darted back up to his center, but Fitz grabbed the shower curtain and closed it once again, ending the free show she had been enjoying.

"Yea. Pretty good. With a few music lessons, you'd be decent." She was baiting him.

"Get your ass in here and I'll show you a hell of a lot better than just decent." he threatened.

"Nah, I'm good out here." she teased.

He pulled back a tiny corner of the shower curtain, poked his head out, and grinned like a lunatic at her. "Really? Is that why you're naked right now?"

She grinned right back at him. "Convince me to come in there."

He gave her a fake sympathetic smile. "You were the one who had a whole lot of shit to say about the things you were going to do to me when you got this job. Well, you've got it and it's time for you to put your money where your mouth is."

"You'd like that wouldn't you? Me putting my mouth on you."

"I would. I'm going to." He told her in a cocky tone. "Because it's one of those dirty things you went into great detail about doing to me. We could go ahead and get it out of the way in the shower." His grin grew wider, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into the shower with him. Her hair got soaked and she started to fuss about it but was kept quiet when he quickly covered her mouth with his own and kissed her with great enthusiasm.

She forgot all about the flirting. The singing. The playful banter between them. Somehow Fitz had taken charge here as if it was his deal. Olivia had been playing with him when she feigned disinterest in what she claimed she would do to him. She quickly came to her senses and remembered that this was not his idea. This was all hers. This was the happy result of her landing a brand new job in her brand new profession. They were celebrating. And she was the hostess.

She broke the kiss, put her hand against his firm chest, and pushed him up against the wall of the shower. She watched his eyes grow wide in surprise and it felt good to have the power back.

"What the..."

His question died on his lips as Olivia got up on her tiptoes and nibbled on his bottom lip. When she pulled herself away from him – she could spend hours kissing him and be completely satisfied – she looked up into his sparkling blue eyes. "No questions. No demands. I give and you just stand there and take it, big guy. You got that?"

"Mmmm, I can't wait to take it. I'm going to email your boss tomorrow and personally thank her for hiring my badass little woman. You're incredibly sexy when you're demanding, Livvie." His hand touched the back of her leg and moved up to her ass. It was on its way to her hip to travel around to her center, when she sunk to her knees in front of him. The second her mouth touched his smooth skin he threw his head back, inhaled sharply, and added, "I might have to go down there and thank her in person?"

She ignored his comments and took her time enjoying him. He quickly stopped talking and gripped her wet curls. His breathing became ragged and he encouraged her with creative dirty words of his own until he exploded in her mouth. She had tamed the chatty beast and felt proud for doing so.

While he collected his thoughts and tried to breathe normally once again, Olivia stood up, got under the spray of hot water, and washed her body. She was rinsing herself off when she felt his hands slide across her skin. Probably his way of helping, she thought with a smile? His hands moved from her breasts to her hips and before she could figure out what he was up to, he turned her around to facing him. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Much. What other interesting things did you talk about doing to me? I think I've forgotten, and you should remind me?"

"I could explain them in great detail, or I could show you?"

"I've always been a visual kind of guy." He reached behind her and turned the water off. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it snugly around Olivia's body, tucking the end between her breasts and letting his fingers massage her skin there longer than necessary. He wrapped the other towel around his waist, making sure that it hung low and loosely on his hips and the two of them made their way out of the bathroom.

Once they reached their bedroom, Olivia didn't need the distraction of wishing that his damn towel would just fall off, so she hooked a finger up against his skin and gently tugged the terrycloth material down in one swift motion. Her eyes were riveted to his center but then flicked up to see what his reaction might be.

She was aching with need for him, Fitz knew. He could read her expressions and body language like an expert by now. He lifted his eyebrows and silently smiled down at her. She seemed to want to be in control of things. That was too damn bad because if he was going to be naked then so was she. Fitz kept his eyes on her melted chocolate ones and without waiting for an invitation, he hooked his finger back between her breasts and jerked her towel off her body. He wondered what she would have to say about his boldness?

She pushed him backwards on their bed.

"Let's get a few things clear right off the bat. You are not in control here. I am. I made some very specific descriptive promises to you for the end of my first day of my new job and that day was today. I don't break my promises. You are going to enjoy every single thing I do to you, so stop trying to figure out how to get the upper hand by trying to please me in some way."

Fitz gave her a lopsided smile, bent his arms at the elbow, and put his hands behind his head while continuing to listen to her. She was so damn cute when she was explaining things. He bet she was the one who made up all the rules when she forced her brothers to play 'pretend' when they were all kids. The thought of that made him grin wide.

"Got it?" she asked sarcastically.

"Mmmmm, come give it to me and find out." he teased.

Olivia slithered up his body, planting little kisses and being very handsy along the way. Fitz's groans were like music to her ears. When she reached his reddened ear, she whispered into it, "court is in session." One of her hands went to his center and wrapped around his hardening length and in a sultry voice she said, "All rise."

"The language of lawyers is so fucking sexy." Fitz did his best to just lay there and take everything Olivia did to him.

 **I just wanted to say thank you all for being patient with me on that last chapter. I know it wasn't great, but I'm working on making my writing a little better. Thank you for being more than gracious in your reviews and not tearing me to pieces over it. I appreciate every one of you**


	30. Job Security

**Job Security**

"Please...Please...Just...I..."

Fitz grinned down at the sweaty, clingy, puddle of stuttering mush underneath him. "Please...Just...I...What Liv?" He was thrusting his hips in a steady motion, rendering his little woman speechless. That did things to a man's ego. Things it probably shouldn't but did anyways. She was so fucking sexy like this. Who was he kidding? She was sexy all the damn time. There was something about breathless, begging, naked Olivia that turned him on like nothing else.

He leaned down and kissed her. It was a wet demanding kiss and as it heated up to a scorching temperature, his anxious hips followed suit. She broke the kiss and began panting for air. Fitz knew she was at her breaking point, and he couldn't wait to watch it. "What do you need?"

Her eyes were heavy, but they snapped to attention up to his. She put her hands on his hips to still him. "You said, and I quote..."

"Oh shit. Here she goes" Fitz muttered.

"'Come on, Liv. Just a quickie.'" Olivia said, trying her best to imitate his playful voice. She glanced to her left and grabbed her phone, touching the home button. She held the device towards his face. "It has been forty three minutes, Fitz and I still haven't had an orgasm. This is the longest quickie of my life! We've got to leave for dinner soon!"

His grin stayed in place as he dipped his head and kissed the tip of her nose. "Two things. One, don't imitate me. You know how much I hate that. And two, coming is coming right up. But you have to let go of my magical hips so they can bring you that ear piercing joy."

"I hate you sometimes." she muttered and loosened her grip on him.

Fitz had her back to babbling incoherent incomplete sentences in no time at all. She was endlessly entertaining when she was naked and writhing with need for him. He doubled his efforts and got her to that very loud explosive peak soon afterwards. He followed her off the edge of the world and fell on top of her sweating and breathing heavily himself.

Olivia waited for the mass of handsomeness on top of her to collect himself. When she figured enough time had passed for him to have accomplished that, she reached a hand down and pinched him on the ass, causing him to yelp and glare down at her. "What the hell did you do that for? I was almost asleep, Liv!"

She scrunched up her nose, shoved him off of her, and got off the bed, standing beside it. "That's exactly why I did it! We have a dinner to get to, remember? The dinner that my brand new bosses arranged for you and I to meet everyone I work with. It's kind of a welcome to the firm dinner. So, no napping! You need to get in the shower and get yourself handsome."

His eyebrows went up and Fitz rolled onto his side, looking up at her. "Are you saying I'm not handsome just like I am?"

"Don't." she warned with a grin.

"Don't what? What did I do?" he asked playfully.

"Fitz. I'm warning you." But her eyes had already betrayed the fierce confidence she was trying to convey and roamed his very handsome face and intensely hot body. Why did he have to be born so damn fine? And confident? She could hate him for that if she tried hard enough.

He saw her openly checking his naked body out. She couldn't control herself around him anymore than he could control himself around her. He was just much more willing to admit it than she was. "Oh my god I'm scared now. Liv's warning me!" He said in mocking fear. "Just answer the damn question."

Why were his thighs so muscular? Did he do specific exercises for that area? She'd be damned, but her hands wanted to touch him some more. He was talking to her, but she had drowned out the sound of his voice as her eyes had taken control of her body. Wake up, Olivia! She chided herself. She brought her eyes up to his and asked, "I'm sorry. What was the question?" He was full of questions. Surely, there was one or two mixed into whatever he had just said.

"I asked," he began with a smirk. "Aren't I handsome just like this?"

"You're always handsome. I didn't question that." she said curtly.

"You said that I need to go take a shower and get handsome. I was just wondering if..."

"Don't wonder. Just go! We have to leave here in less than an hour. Abby is dying to meet you and tonight it's my turn to show you off."

Fitz scrambled off the bed. She wanted to show her man off huh? "What do you want me to wear? Anything specific? A G-string? Black bowtie and matching black speedo?"

"Like I said, sometimes I hate you." She said with a chuckle. "Some of your parts are all mine and are not for showing off to anyone. Lucky for me, the visible parts are just as nice to look at as the ones that are usually all covered up." She got up on her tiptoes and pecked his lips. "Wear something blue. You are hot as hell in blue."

"I am?" he asked, faking ignorance.

"You are. You make me think dirty sexy things about you when you're in blue." Fitz opened his mouth, probably to say something sarcastic. But Olivia shut him down by adding, "When you wear blue it makes me want to do dirty sexy things to you and with you."

It should be impossible that he wanted her again already, but he did. The things that came out of her mouth sometimes made him hard as iron. Instead of sharing that with Olivia, he just gave her a lopsided smile and said, "blue it is then."

"It's gonna be a long night full of distractions." Her wide eyes looked up at him. She could see the desire in his eyes and marveled at it. She brought that out in him. The problem, if you wanted to call it that, was that Fitz brought the very same thing out in her. She wanted him right now! Dinner be damned. She could tell the minute he knew she had caved to his want.

Fitz grinned and took her hand, leading her to the bathroom. Twice in one afternoon was a good day indeed!

She pointed her short brown finger at him sternly. "I swear to God, Fitz. This had better be the fastest quickie in the history of man."

A little over hour later, the two of them rushed inside the restaurant where Olivia gave the name of the firm to the hostess and waited to be taken back to where the large group was probably waiting for them. She was pissed off that the second quickie had lasted longer than it should have. Much longer! Damn Fitz for making her want to stay in the shower too long. They were late for dinner and she would be telling everyone it was his fault.

"Right this way." The two of them were led to a small room in the back where all of the employees of the firm were seated at side by side oblong tables.

Everyone looked up at them when they walked inside. Pleasant smiles were exchanged. "I'm so sorry we are late. Time got away from us this afternoon. Please forgive me." Olivia said politely.

They were given murmurs of acceptance before everyone went back to their conversations and drinks. Olivia saw Abby anxiously waving at her and noticed two empty seats on either side of her. Of course she saved them seats near her. She smiled at the redhead and she and Fitz made their way over to her. Fitz pulled out Olivia's chair and then sat down himself as Abby watched the two of them with eagle eyes. "Where's your husband?" Olivia asked.

"No husband. No boyfriend." She answered nonchalantly. Abby turned her gaze to Fitz and gave him a megawatt smile. "You Fitz or the guy she's cheating on Fitz with?"

"Abby!" Olivia hissed. "You know this is Fitz. You saw his picture on my phone."

Fitz grinned at the redhead. She was funny and sassy. He liked her immediately. "I am the one and only Fitzgerald Grant."

"Ohmygod" Olivia muttered. The waitress stopped and took their drink orders. Olivia asked for red wine and prayed it would be brought out quickly. It really was going to be a long night. "I hate that we're late to the dinner the firm is having for me. They are going to fire me, I just know it!"

"Relax, Liv." Abby retorted. "Ms. Wotawa isn't even here yet."

"What?! Really?" Olivia scanned the faces at each table and didn't see the familiar face of the woman who had interviewed her. "That makes me feel a little bit better."

The waitress brought out Olivia and Fitz's drinks and set them in front of them before walking away.

"She's always late to these things though. Her and her husband, the senator, are always fucking each other blind before these dinners. Makes 'em late every time."

Fitz heard Abby's words and began choking on his drink as he turned a shade close to the color of his dress shirt. He kept a hand over his mouth as he tried to cough the burning liquid out. Abby grinned and slapped him on the back a few times. "You okay big guy?"

He nodded and the coughing started to lessen. He flicked his eyes to Olivia's and gave her a smirk.

"OHMYGOD! You two were screwing before you got here and that's why you're late too!" She began to giggle and clap like a five year old.

"Shut up! Anyone in here could hear you!" Olivia angrily whispered.

"Who cares? We're all adults. We all have sex. Or have had sex before."

"That's not what happened anyways! Like I said when we walked in..."

"It is what happened." Fitz cut in. He grabbed Olivia's hand and kissed it. "And it was amazing."

"Okay, I like him, and we are keeping him, Liv."

"Thank you." Fitz told Abby with a grin.

"He's not a puppy you found on the street and...I have a feeling I am going to regret introducing the two of you to each other." She took a long drink of her wine.

"Hello, everyone!" Ms. Wotawa chirped from the doorway. "Sorry we're late. We were having car trouble."

"They have more car trouble than a NASCAR racer." Abby muttered. The comment made Olivia laugh.

Ms. Wotawa stood in front of her chair and smiled at everyone. When the room became quiet she spoke. "This dinner is an informal get to know you for all of us and our recent new hires, Olivia and Cliff. We welcome the two of you into the firm with open arms. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just let us know. We consider our co-workers to be family. Now. I'll begin the introductions. You already know my name. I'm one of the four badass female partners of the firm."

Loud clapping could be heard throughout the small room.

"And this is my husband, the deliciously handsome senator of our wonderful state, Jacob Shaw." Ms. Wotawa clung to his arm affectionately. The two of them seemed inseparable. It was kind of cute to watch. "All of the partners will come around and visit with our new family members and their dates before the night is over. Now. I need a drink. Enjoy your evening, everyone."

After dinner people were changing seats to start up conversations with co-workers they weren't sitting near or to discuss a case or to talk about new restaurants in the area. Whatever came to mind. Abby had gone to the restroom and Mrs. Haughton happily took her seat. A handsome man stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. "Hello, Olivia. The two of us haven't formally introduced ourselves yet. I'm Denise Haughton, one of the partners. And this is my husband, Dennis. "

Olivia smiled at the adorable couple. "It's very nice to meet you both. This is my boyfriend, Fitzgerald Grant." The four of them shook hands politely.

"It's very nice to meet the amazing women who hired my girlfriend as soon as she passed the bar. Knowing she is working in a female dominant law firm is amazing. I think you are all amazing." He brought Mrs. Haughton's hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Son." Mr. Haughton warned. "You are making me look bad in front of my wife with all that rico suave shit. Put her hand down and you won't get hurt."

The two men exchanged grins, but Fitz released Mrs. Haughton's hand just the same.

Olivia spoke up, hoping to change the subject. "This dinner is amazing. Thank you so much for the great opportunity to talk with my co-workers in a more laid back environment."

"Are you saying the environment at work is too stressful?" the older woman asked with a straight face.

"No!" Olivia blurted out. "I just meant that..."

Mrs. Haughton reached over and touched Olivia's hand as a chuckle escaped her lips. "Relax, Olivia. I was just kidding."

"I'm so relieved. I sometimes stick my foot in my mouth and say the wrong thing." Olivia watched her boss' eyes grow. "Not that I would do that at work. Or in the courtroom. I didn't mean for..."

"Olivia? I know what you meant. Calm down. It's just dinner. If you have a problem doing that, try to imagine everyone in here in their underwear. I hear that works wonders."

Olivia very wisely did not reply to that. She wondered why everyone was trying to get her to conjure up dirty images? She smiled at Mrs. Haughton, keeping her lips tightly clamped together. She lifted her glass and took a sip of her drink.

"How are you tonight, Denise?" a voice asked.

Mrs. Haughton smiled at her fellow partner. "Having a great time, Sandy. How about you?"

"A fantastic time. If I could get Mark to take me out on the dance floor it would be damn near perfect."

"Uh oh, Mark. That sounds like your cue?" Mr. Haughton replied with a chuckle.

"We're gonna talk with Olivia for a minute first." he said with a wink. "Besides, Sandy needs to take it easy tonight. She has a busy day tomorrow and needs her rest."

Sandy leaned closer to Olivia and whispered, "Sometimes he's a buzzkill." She stuck out her right hand and introduced herself. "I've seen you around the firm, but I haven't had time to talk to you. We are all always running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I'm Sandy Greene and this is my husband, Mark."

The two women shook hands. "It's so nice to meet you both. And you're right. We are always going in a hundred different directions. Stopping to chat isn't always feasible. But I'm glad I got to talk to you tonight." She gestured to Fitz beside her and said, "this is my boyfriend, Fitzgerald Grant."

The two men shook hands and chatted together while the women did the same. At one point, Olivia saw Fitz lean closer towards Mr. Greene and a moment later, Mr. Greene nodded with a shrug. She wondered what that was all about? He seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as she was. She was grateful that she didn't have to keep him entertained all evening. That he could hold his own with her work colleagues.

Suddenly, Fitz stood up and held his hand out in front of Mrs. Greene. "Would you care to dance with me?"

That was all it took for him to seal a place as her favorite person of the evening. She grinned up at him and started to get out of her chair but stopped herself. Glancing over at her husband, she watched him nod his approval. She was on her feet in an instant and let him lead her to the middle of the room where they shared a waltz.

"Wow. He's good!" Abby commented. "That woman is going to dream about him tonight."

Olivia was getting used to Abby's sassy comments and shook her head back and forth while grinning at her.

When Fitz found his seat once again, he put his hand on the back of Olivia's chair and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "I think I forgot to tell you earlier, but you look absolutely beautiful." He kissed her temple and rubbed her back as she leaned closer towards him.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever find your way back to me after dancing with my boss?" she teased.

"Never question that. I'll always find my way back to you, Liv. You own my heart and I love you. Always and forever." he reminded her.

"Mmmm. I love you too. Always and forever." she replied.

The two of them were in their own little bubble of happiness and unbeknownst were being watched closely by yet another partner. She observed them quietly with a smile on her face. They were a lovely couple, seemingly very happy together. She didn't want to be rude by continuing to stare openly at them without speaking. She took an empty seat across from both of them. "Hello, Olivia."

"Your face is familiar to me. You're Ms. Barber. Correct?"

"That's right." She said beaming. "But please call me Joy. And who is this handsome young man you've brought with you tonight?"

"This is my boyfriend, Fitzgerald Grant. He's a doctor at a hospital in the city." Olivia explained.

Joy studied his face for a moment. "Do you by chance work at the one that's mostly brick on the outside?"

"Yes, I do." Fitz answered.

"I believe you helped me there before? I graced your hospital when I sprained an ankle last summer. I teach dance camps in the summer."

"Ouch! Those can be really painful." Fitz told her.

"They can be." She said with a smile. "But you made it a mostly pain free experience for me. You're very good at what you do."

"Well, thank you for the compliment. I have been telling your fellow partners that I am impressed with the high standard the four of you have set for your firm. Olivia talks about it all the time at home. I love to see women leading at work and I applaud you all." Fitz said.

Joy silently looked at the two of them for a minute or two. "I know this sounds very strange, so I'll apologize for it in advance. But it feels like I have known the two of you for a very long time somehow? I can't explain it. You are so familiar to me in the strangest way, and I don't mean as people. I mean as a couple. I've never met you together before tonight, and yet it seems like we are old friends." She took a deep breath and physically shook her head. "I'm so sorry. That must have sounded completely creepy. I didn't intend for it to."

"I actually know what you mean. Kind of." Olivia said looking at her.

"It's almost like déjà vu somehow." Fitz added quietly. "It does feel like the three of us have met before. It's very weird. And hard to explain."

"I'm going to change the subject now before you both think I have lost my mind and am a crazy person." she said with a smile. "I'm very glad to have you on board with us, Olivia. I think you'll make a great addition to our team. Fitz, it was great to officially meet you under much better circumstances than the last time. I'll see you on Monday, Olivia. Enjoy your evening."

"She is a very charming lady." Fitz commented. "I'm sure that should have felt like a weird conversation, but it didn't."

"Olivia! There you are!"

She turned around to see Ms. Wotawa standing behind her. Her ass was tired from all the sitting, so she stood up and shook her boss' hand. "Ms. Wotawa. Are you enjoying your evening?" she asked.

"Darling, please call me Mindy. Ms. Wotawa sounds like an old woman and I am still fighting against that. But to answer your question, yes. A night out with my husband is always a great evening." Ms. Wotawa admitted. "Come say hi, Jacob."

"It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Pope." he replied, shaking her hand. "I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you. You really impressed my wife at your interview. Not many people have ever done that."

"Is that true? I feel so honored."

"I'm already rethinking our decision to hire Cliff. He's a rather boring little fellow and in my opinion, he lacks vision." She sat down in a chair and waited for her three conversation partners to join her. When they did, she reached a hand under the tablecloth and began to play with her husband's thigh. She was desperate for him and couldn't wait to get him in the backseat of the town car.

"I'm sure he's just nervous. Meeting everyone at once can be slightly overwhelming. Maybe he's just shy?" Olivia supplied.

Mindy's hand rode higher up her husband's thigh as she kneaded the muscles there. His body turned her on like nothing else. She was going to wrap up this conversation and they were going to get the hell out of there. "A good lawyer cannot afford to be shy. He's going to have to come out of his shell or work elsewhere. That's really all there is to it."

Her hand slid up his thigh and she began massaging his center under the table. "A man has to be ready at all times. He never knows what could pop up unexpectedly at any moment. Isn't that right darling?"

Mr. Shaw nodded knowingly. He had to get her home so he could have her all to himself. He faked a yawn and said, "Shall we call it a night, Mrs. Shaw?"

Mindy giggled, brought her hand up from under the tablecloth, and covered her mouth with her hand. "He only calls me that when he's feeling frisky. So we are going home now. I'll see you Monday, Olivia. Nice to have met you, Fitz."

He nodded at her silently.

When Mr. And Mrs. Shaw were gone, Olivia snapped her head back to Fitz and whispered, "what the hell was that?"

"Liv." he sputtered. "I..."

"You did so great with the other three partners. You kissed Mrs. Haughton's hand, you danced with Mrs. Greene, and you felt that immediate friendship with Ms. Barber. Why the hell couldn't you have at least said goodbye to Mrs. Wotawa?"

"Because she was feeling me up under the table!"

"Nah uh!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Yea huh! Before she pulled her hand up to cover her mouth, she was massaging my crotch. I couldn't speak even if I wanted to. I couldn't ask her to stop. She's your boss and it would've been weird and embarrassing! I just...let her do it."

Olivia covered her own mouth with her own hands to help stifle the wild loud laughter that was coming from inside of her. Fitz shot her hate filled glares as she continued to laugh. When she finally had herself under control she said, "well, at long as I have you around, I have job security."


	31. Note From the Author

I have a few offended readers and I am going to address what they are upset over, based on the negative reviews I received from the last chapter. I'm not here to say you are wrong, however you felt about it. You're not. We feel how we feel.

 **Fitz was just sexually assaulted and Olivia laughs**  
The thought of anyone taking the end of that story as a sexual assault never entered into my mind. The only thought that flew into my mind is that it was a humorous accident. Have you ever spoken to or hugged the wrong person on accident? Same thing. Much bigger accident, but it's the same idea. That is all I intended it to be.

I think ultimately, the big problem wasn't that Fitz was touched inappropriately. The real problem is that Olivia laughed when he told her. THAT'S the part that got to you, I believe. And I can admit that I could have written it better now that I look at it thru someone else's eyes. I know why you're mad now. Hindsight is 20/20.

 **Open talk about sex at an official function was mentioned**  
These people were at dinner with their co-workers. After hours. They were not getting paid for it. Thus, they were on their own time. And, as an employed person, sex is discussed at work. It's not the topic of every single day, but it certainly is talked about. Chances are, it's talked about at your job too.

 **When Olivia's boss is touching Fitz it's creepy. The under the table thing was weird. It was disturbing**  
It was an honest mistake and not intended to be creepy. She thought she was touching her husband. Have you ever spoke to or hugged someone who turned out to be the wrong person? Not exactly the same thing, but that was where I was aiming, if that helps you understand my thought process when I wrote it? Creepy, weird, and disturbing were the furthest things from my mind.

 **I hope there is a follow up conversation to this**  
It will be discussed. I have had the next two chapters written for the past 10 days. Just finished the third installment this morning because of insomnia. So, it won't be discussed in those 3 chapters, and it probably won't be a chapter pertaining only to what happened either. But it will be discussed.

 **It would have been handled differently if it had been Fitz's boss feeling up Olivia. I hate double standards in these cases so please address that next chapter**  
It was an accident. Unintentional. Does that make it better and ok? No. But she wasn't seeking to purposefully grope Fitz either. There is a difference. Her husband is fair game for her hands to touch. The fact that it wasn't him and that she didn't know it doesn't make it ok, but it does make it an accident. I just chose to find humor in the accident itself. I do agree with the double standard mention. I will admit that it gave me pause for a long while when I read it. It's true, there shouldn't be a double standard. And when I do address this situation, that will be mentioned.

I know that I have hurt some of y'all's feelings, made a few of you feel uncomfortable, angered, or maybe brought up something that happened to you that you may have shoved deep down inside of you. All I can say is that I am really sorry. I will try to be more mindful of the things I write and try to think about it from other sides and points of view. It's also fair to say that thinking about things from another point of view is healthy for all of us. Things aren't always the way we think they are intended to be. And I didn't intend for that chapter to come to sexual assault.

I appreciate each and every one of you. I really do. If this author's note didn't satisfy your questions, please feel free to DM me.


	32. Lots To Think About

**Lots To Think About**

Fitz was on his way to the hospital, but not because he was scheduled for working a shift. He had been notified a few days ago that he was scheduled for a meeting with one of the hospital's administrators. About what, he had no idea. But he got up early on his day off and went in as requested to find out.

It was barely nine a.m. when he found himself walking through the front doors of the hospital. He glanced over at the nurse's station out of habit and realized sadly that he had missed the change of shift a few hours ago. He didn't get to see his favorite nurses this morning. He sighed heavily and made his way to the bank of elevators. When one of the four double doors dinged, letting him know it had arrived to the floor he was on, Fitz stepped inside.

He slowly began the ride up to the fourth floor along with several other people. Some were hospital staff that he recognized dressed in scrubs, and some he didn't know at all. Some were people dressed in street clothes, probably at the hospital to visit a sick or recovering friend of family member. It took all kinds at a hospital.

The metal doors slid smoothly open at each floor. Some people stepped out while others stepped inside. Fitz noticed that one of his favorite nurses had joined the small group getting on at the second floor. Her face lit up when she spotted him, and then quickly turned to confusion when she saw that he was wearing jeans instead of doctor garb. She made her way over to him in the small metal box, muttering 'excuse me's' on her way.

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in this morning." She said teasing him. "What are you doing here at this hour dressed like a visitor?"

He grinned at her as he glanced down at his appearance. "I have a meeting with an administrator."

"Ohhhh, okay. I hope it goes well. We can't afford to lose great doctors around here. How is Miss Olivia? Are you still treating that girl like a queen? Because I will kick your ass if you aren't."

"Well, thank you for calling me a great doctor. Queen Olivia is just fine. Still trying to keep me in line. She would get a kick out of knowing you are on her side instead of mine. She calls you my work mother and thinks very highly of you. Just between you and me, I think she's a little scared of you too."

"Well, she should be." Mama nurse replied sassily. "If she isn't good to you, I will kick her ass too. And you can tell her I said that! But I am on her side. You let her know that between the two of us, we should get you straightened out within the next five years or so." She began to cackle at her own humor.

Fitz chuckled at her as well. The elevator doors opened and several of the people on the elevator stepped out onto the third floor, giving Fitz and Mama nurse a little more breathing room. "You know, I could ask you why you're here at this hour too. Have you changed shifts? You are one of the few people who actually love working night float, so it's really disorienting to see you out in the light of day."

"I have the night off tonight, so I took advantage of that by scheduling a doctor's appointment this morning. It should be a lot easier to go home and sleep knowing I have all of my personal business out of the way." She told him.

"You nurses are such smart ladies." Fitz said. "Everything is okay with you? I mean, I know it's none of my business, but...well, I'm asking anyways."

She smiled at him. He was such a kind soul. It was part of what made him a wonderful doctor. "Everything is fine. It's just some test results." She assured him.

When the number four was lit up above the doors, he smiled at her, kissed her cheek, and said, "this is me. I'll talk to you soon. Sleep well when you get there later."

"Go and have a good meeting. Try not to get yourself fired in the process. Who is gonna take care of my doughnut fix if you're gone?" She grinned at him as the doors closed. The minute they closed, her smile fell, and a solemn look replaced it.

Fitz walked into an outer office and smiled at the receptionist, giving his name. "Hey. I'm here to see Mr. Curry. I have a nine thirty appointment."

The receptionist, a middle aged thin woman smiled up at him and then glanced at her computer monitor and typed on the keyboard. "There you are, Mr. Grant. I'll let him know you're here. Please have a seat."

Fitz sat down in one of the plush chairs and began looking through his phone to see if anything interesting had happened on social media since the night before. He noticed that a photo he posted of him and Olivia the day before had gotten quite a few likes and it made him smile. As he continued scrolling, he noticed that she had posted the same photo of them but hers had gotten quite a bit more attention He wondered how that had happened?

Just as he was about to investigate the receptionist called his name. "Mr. Grant?"

Fitz looked up at her.

"Mr. Curry will see you now. You can go on in."

Fitz opened the door and walked inside his boss' office.

His boss was sitting at his desk looking at the file in his hand. He was an older man with a head full of salt and pepper hair, a smile on his face, and kind but inquisitive eyes. He ran a tight ship at the hospital and his presence commanded respect, but it wasn't a difficult thing to give him because he was well liked by just about everyone he worked with.

At times he could be seen people watching in the hospital by his staff. He would watch what they did while they waited, how they reacted to news – good or bad – that was delivered by a doctor, or any other various reason why he did it. Fitz had asked him about the people watching thing after catching him doing it a few times. The older man had said, 'I do it to learn more about my hospital and the people who come here. I don't want to settle for a good hospital, I want it to be great. This is my way of working towards that goal.' Fitz never questioned him again.

"Fitz! It's good to see you." Mr. Curry extended his arm and after the two of them shook hands, he gestured towards a nearby chair. "Come and sit down."

He took the offered seat and asked, "How have you been, Daniel?"

"I've been great. How about you? It seems like it's been a while since we've been able to sit and talk?"

"It has been. Between the hospital and moving in with my girlfriend, I'm keeping really busy."

"I heard about your recent change in living arrangements through the grapevine. Congratulations on that." He said with a smile. "I'm sorry I called you in for a morning meeting on your only day off this week, but this was the only time I had clear in my schedule and who knows when you'll have another day off in the foreseeable future?"

"It's no problem. What's up?" Fitz asked. He was dying to know why he had been summoned to his boss's office. He wanted him to rip the bandage off and just tell him whatever it was he needed to share.

"I've been reading your file. I know a manila file folder is an outdated notion, but back when I started as an administrator, that's how things were kept and I, well, I guess I just like the feel of something in my hand. I'd rather be holding this..." he gestured to the file, "...than spending my day looking at a computer screen. We do enough of that as it is downstairs with our patients.

Anyways, as you are well aware, you have been with us a little over two years now. I honestly can't believe it's been that long. It seems like just yesterday that I snatched you up from medical school. You were such an overzealous young man. Ready to save the world from all its ailments. Remember that?"

Fitz nodded with a grin. He had been young with a head full of amazing medical knowledge and a heart willing to serve those who needed his skills. He never dreamed that things like medical insurance and hospital politics could get in the way of that dream. But here he was. Learning his place while also learning how to heal the wounded. Daniel's voice broke through his thoughts.

"I was wondering if you've given any thought to your specialty?" He was looking intently at Fitz and waiting for an answer.

The question caught Fitz off guard. This was the last thing he expected to be talking to the hospital administrator about today. "Honestly? Not really. I'm enjoying spending a month in different departments and learning what I can while I'm there. Can't I just start that rotation all over again from the beginning?" He asked half joking.

"No. You can't. You're far too valuable of a physician to spend your time on a constant loop re-learning the same information over and over. I want you to continue learning, but that's not quite what I had in mind." Daniel Curry closed Fitz's file, set it down on his desk, and looked up at the doctor in his employ. "You are a gifted doctor, Fitz. I've seen you at work. You know what you're doing, and you do it well. You connect with your patients better than most of my attendings. Your bedside manner is impeccable. You don't show up late for your shifts no matter when you are called in or scheduled to work. And if all that wasn't enough, the nurses love you. That last one is no easy feat. Believe me."

"Thank you, Daniel." Fitz replied. He was a bit overwhelmed to hear his boss sing his praises this loudly. "I appreciate you saying that. It's so encouraging."

"All of that said, you need to be thinking about what area of specialty you want to pursue so you can begin to familiarize yourself with every aspect of it. It will make you even better than you already are. Your patients will like you better than they already do. Besides, you can't sew up stitches, set broken bones, or any other number of basic things for the rest of your life."

"I can if I want to be a general physician." Fitz joked.

"Is that what you want to do?" his boss asked in a serious tone.

"No." Fitz answered quickly. "I have my heart set on a few areas. I just need to narrow it down to one. How long can I think about it before I need to give you an answer?"

"A week. Maybe two, but no longer than that. We need to get the ball rolling. Come back and see me when you've reached a decision, okay?"

"I can do that." Fitz said, standing up and extending his arm once again. "Thank you. For everything, Daniel."

"Fitz? Keep in mind that sometimes you don't choose your area of specialty."

The younger doctor squinted at his boss. "What do you mean?"

"You've got to choose a field that you love. Something you can see yourself doing for decades. It has to be something that you enjoy, and like you said, you've got your mind on a few already. Just keep in mind that sometimes it's not what you thought you'd end up doing. Sometimes you don't choose the field. Sometimes the field chooses you."

Well, that was cryptic as fuck! Fitz wondered what that meant exactly but figured he would think about it more on his way home. "I'll get back to you by the end of next week. Thanks again, Daniel."

"Only you would thank me for waking you up early on your off day." Daniel chuckled. "Go. Enjoy the rest of your day with your new roommate. Talk to her about this decision and see what she has to say about it. If the two of you end up together for the long haul, it will affect her life as well as yours."

"Talking to Liv is good advice. She's a good person to talk things through with. And, if I have my way about it, she will be in my life forever."

Daniel's eyes went up high on his forehead. "Are you talking about the M word?"

Fitz smiled at the older man. He wasn't scared of the word marriage. Not if his partner would be Olivia. "Eventually, yea. We've both got a lot going on right now in our professional lives to talk marriage, but it's on my mind a lot more often now than it ever has been. You're the first person I've admitted that to so please keep it to yourself."

"That is great news. I'll be looking for a fancy invitation when things settle down a bit for both of you. Until then though, figure out your specialty and inform me when a decision has been made. I want you to stay on track with it with laser focus. Go. Don't spend your day hanging around here when you could be with your future wife."

"See ya, Daniel. I'll be in touch." Fitz left the inner office, closing the door behind him. He smiled at the receptionist as he walked by and kept going to the elevator. Two words kept replaying over and over in his brain as he silently rode the elevator down to the ground floor.

Future wife

He hadn't been exaggerating. Olivia had just started her new job at an all female law firm and felt the need to prove herself worthy of them, even though by her account, they already loved her. She had a lot to learn as she forged her own way in the firm led by strong intelligent kick ass women. She would need time to focus on that until the need to prove herself had dissipated.

He himself had two weeks to figure out what his medical specialty for life was going to be. He had a lot to think about. A list of pros and cons to make for each specialty he thought he might enjoy being a part of. He had to talk it all out with Liv and see what she thought.

Their lives were far too busy at the moment to even entertain the idea of marriage right now. But one day things would be calmer, and they would have the time and energy to see how they felt about making things between them more lawful. Fitz grinned at the thought of Olivia being his future wife. That dream would become a reality one day.


	33. Risk Factors

**Risk Factors**

It was the last night shift that Fitz owed to his attending. He was beyond ready for the debt to be paid, making the two men even once again. He and Olivia had enjoyed themselves at The Phoenix celebrating her passing the bar and he appreciated the help of his doctor friend getting them a last minute reservation to the hoity toity restaurant, but he was also ready for some semblance of normal to return to his life too. That meant day shifts.

Fitz liked the nurses much better on the night shift and it had its time of calm and quiet making the middle of the night shift a little more tolerable, but there wasn't much else he enjoyed about that work schedule. The quiet moments also made it difficult to stay awake. The difficulties at home were that Fitz and Olivia didn't get to see each other at all because they were on opposite schedules. When he was leaving for work, she hadn't gotten home yet. And when he got home, she had already headed out to begin her day. It had been two long Olivia free weeks and he was happy to finally get it behind him.

He yawned loudly as he began styling his hair while looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was still slightly foggy from his shower and Fitz reached a hand up and wiped it clear to help him see better. Once his hair was presentable, he began to brush his teeth. He had gotten up a little earlier so he could stop and get the nurses doughnuts. It would be a while before he worked the night shift again and he wanted to part ways with them in his signature way.

Once he was all ready to go, he grabbed his go cup from the cabinet and made himself some coffee. He told the cat goodbye and walked out the door. The weather outside was so nice, he decided to walk to the bakery for the doughnuts.

A short while later, he walked into the hospital with the box of sweet circles in hand and made his way over to the nurse's station. There were a group of them there and they were hugging each other and appeared to be consoling each other? He set the box on the counter and tried to think of a way to break the tension. "I know you guys are gonna miss me around here, but there's no need for tears."

One of the nurses smiled at him and said, "that's not why everyone is upset. Nurse Maureen got some test results back earlier this week. She's got issues with her heart."

"What kind of issues?" Fitz demanded.

"She has plaque in her arteries. And as we all know, when that plaque builds up her blood won't be able to flow to her heart as freely as it needs to. And once that happens, it'll lead to pain or shortness of breath and she will have to have something done about it. But you know her. She's not going to let anyone tell..."

Fitz knew the drill. The nurse's voice faded into background noise for him as he tried to process what he'd just be told. Mama Nurse was a walking heart attack?! What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuck? No! They had to have the wrong information. There was no way he'd let anything happen to her if he could help it.

Fitz's mind raced as he thought of all the possible ways the news had been passed down wrong. And then he remembered seeing her in the elevator earlier that week. She told him she had a doctor's appointment and then was going home to go to bed. When he asked her if everything was ok, she told him she was just getting test results.

A sinking feeling filled the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to think about it, but there was a good chance the nurses didn't have the wrong information at all. He began asking questions rapidly without waiting for answers. "When did she find out? What are her risk factors? Age is one of them. She's gotta be older than fifty-five, right? Does anyone know for sure? Is she diabetic? Or have high blood pressure?"

One of them rattled off what she had been told about her colleague and gave the specifics of it. "She found out about it earlier this week, but we just found out today. She waited until she had told her family to tell us. She is older than fifty five and does have high blood pressure. She's a diabetic too. She has an appointment with a heart doc tomorrow and will be out for the rest of the week. She's seeing someone not at this hospital." She explained.

The prognosis wasn't good. The sinking feeling grew a mile wide. He felt so helpless, but he wanted to do something about it. "Who is her doctor here? The one she saw for the results?" A familiar name was spoken, and Fitz committed it to memory. He was going to pay the man a visit in the morning and get some details. If he had to owe that doctor a favor for finding out everything he could, Fitz would do it.

He stumbled through his last night float shift in a fog. For the most part, he kept the anger and frustration out of his mind so he could do his job. But every so often the shocking news about his favorite nurse would creep into his mind and he would have to shove it deep down inside if he was with a patient. When he wasn't with one, he'd kick a nearby filing cabinet.

It seemed like the sun was refusing to rise on time this morning as Fitz stared out the large glass doors. He was busy with patients from a car accident when the sun eventually did show up, signaling the beginning of a new day. When the bright light finally caught his attention, he sighed heavily. He had never been more thankful for a shift to be over than this one.

He and his attending discussed the patients that had been in Fitz's care overnight once he arrived, and Fitz updated him on each of them and how they had fared overnight. Finally, Fitz was released from his shift. He thanked his boss once again for being so helpful with the restaurant and the two of them shook hands. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help again." the older man said with a grin.

"I'll keep it in mind." Fitz replied as the two of them shook hands. When he was far enough away from his boss he muttered, "like hell."

"Doctor Grant?" A voice called out to him. Fitz pulled himself out of his exhausted stupor and turned around to find one of the nurses standing in the hall. "I'm really sorry tonight wasn't the usual light night shift we try to have around here. The news about nurse Maureen just hit us out of nowhere and we're still dealing with it. We don't want anything to happen to her either."

"I understand. I mean, I don't understand. Not at all." He scrubbed his hand over his face and walked towards the nurse whose name he had momentarily forgotten. "I'm still trying to make it make sense in my head. You know? The fact that she's got several of the risk factors for having a heart attack isn't good. The fact that she hasn't had one yet is good. And I'll take all the good news I can about her right now."

"It's hard enough when it's someone you don't know. Like a patient, and you can be somewhat detached. But when it's someone that you are close to it just breaks your heart. I want to do something for her or her family. She is going to go stir crazy having to be at home to try to avoid stress for the rest of the week."

"Just be there for her. If she calls you up and says she needs to vent about it, then just listen to her. If she needs you to visit her, clear your day, lose that sleep, and go visit her. Whatever she needs. Just like our patients here that we go the extra mile for every single day no matter what their situation may be. It's the same for her. More so because she is family. And if you talk to her and she needs anything, and I do mean anything that you need help with. I don't care if it's financial, emotional, physical...whatever! You call and let me know and I will be there."

"You know she thinks of you as one of her sons, Doctor Grant?"

He had no idea what nurse Maureen thought of him. He was pleased to know that she felt the same kinship with him that he felt for her. "I am very fond of her as well. Whenever I talk about her to Liv, I call her momma nurse. She's very special to me, you all are, and I want to help too. I'll be in touch with her, but I suspect she won't be as open with me about any of it – how she's feeling, what she needs, if she's scared – as she will be with you. Please keep me posted."

"I will, Doctor Grant. Thank you for the doughnuts. You look exhausted. You should go home and get some sleep."

He gave her a small smile. "I'm heading home after I run a quick errand first. Have a good day."

He found Doctor Robertson's office easily enough. As luck would have it, the doctor had just arrived at work and was putting his umbrella in the stand behind the door when Fitz walked in. Fitz glanced at the middle aged man and asked, "is it raining outside?"

"Not yet. But it's supposed to before lunchtime. Sposed to rain all afternoon in fact."

"Great" Fitz replied. "Look, I'll get right to the point of why I'm here. Earlier this week, one of our night float nurses came to see you. To get some test results."

"Yes. I believe you are referring to nurse Maureen?"

"That's right. I was wondering if you could tell me what's going on with her?"

"I can't give you information about my patients. As a doctor, you already know that." He said with a frown.

"Honestly, I was expecting that answer, and I appreciate the fact that you care about your patients." Fitz recalled the words that Daniel had spoken to him recently. "The fact that you do care about them so much makes you a great doctor. I just wanted to know what the next step is in her care?"

The older man regarded the younger one for a moment. "Are you a family member, Doctor Grant?"

"No, Sir. I have worked with her off and on for the two years I have been at this hospital. She may not be related to me, but she is very special to most everyone she works with. Nurse Maureen has a way of making all of us feel like we're her family." Fitz explained.

The older man nodded.

"I'm not asking you to tell me anything you aren't permitted to share with me. But I would like to know if there are things that can lower her risk for having a heart attack? Things that her work family can help with once she comes back."

"Of course there are. As you know she can't do anything about her age, which is one factor. But she can do other things to lower her risk. And you know full well by now, as a resident, what they are. The first step is to get her to lose the coffee. That woman has a cup of coffee in her hand constantly."

"I'll take care of that. If she won't give it up entirely, I'll make sure she at least cuts what she drinks by more than half." Fitz assured him.

The older man raised his eyebrows at Fitz. "I don't know if you are a coffee drinker, but that is dangerous business. Getting a coffee drinker to not drink as much. She really must be like family to you."

Fitz smiled. "I am a coffee drinker. And I figure that she and I can cut our consumption in half together. We both might be a little grumpier to work with, but if it keeps us around longer, it'll be worth it. Look, thank you for talking with me. I'm going to do some deeper research on the matter and then get started with her as soon as she returns to work. I appreciate you taking the time."

"It's always good to see a passionate doctor. Keep that characteristic. It will serve you well in your career, doctor Grant. You have a good day."

"Thank you, doctor Robertson. You too." Fitz left the doctor's office and headed out the front doors of the hospital. The warm sun felt good on his skin and after the long night inside the hospital, he took a moment to just enjoy it.

On his ride home Fitz was looking forward to a hot shower and at least six hours of sleep. He rubbed his hand over his face and tried like hell to keep his eyes open in the back of the cab. His mind kept drifting back to nurse Maureen and what other changes he could help her with to lower her risk of having a heart attack. By the time the taxi pulled up in front of his apartment building, Fitz had a decent sized list of things to research. Things he planned to talk over with his favorite nurse to help her make changes.

As luck would have it, Olivia was on her way towards the door when he stepped inside their apartment. Surprised to see her, after a couple of weeks without her, Fitz held his arms open and she wordlessly went into them. They held each other tight for what felt like a long time. "I've missed you this week." he murmured into her hair.

"I've missed you more." She pulled away from him and pecked his lips. "I'm sorry that I have to get going, but we will talk tonight since you are off. I'll bring home dinner and we can watch a movie together if you want?"

"That sounds kind of perfect, Liv. I'm going to do some research when I get up, but I can limit it to an hour and we can spend the rest of the evening together afterwards."

"That sounds perfect. What are you doing research on?"

"Things to do to prevent heart attacks. And more importantly, how to present them to a stubborn older woman in a way that she will actually listen to me." Fitz said with a grin.

Olivia squinted at him. "Who is the stubborn older woman? Anyone I know?"

"Mama Nurse was told that she is at risk for having a heart attack. Based on recent test results, she is a heart attack waiting to happen. I'm going to help her get healthier."

"Whatever I can do to help, you let me know! I'm on board with it! I can research too." She kissed him again, lingering on his lips. "Get some sleep please."

"Shower, food, bed. In that order. Don't worry about me, Liv. Have a good day. I love you."

"I love you too. See you tonight."


	34. Specialty

**Specialty**

The more time he spent researching, the more sure of his decision he felt. He wondered why he had never noticed this pull before? It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A weight he had no idea he had been absentmindedly carrying around for who knew how long?

At first, she was not listening to him. Toned him right out completely. He had been expecting that though and kept right on presenting all of the information he had gathered to share with her. She would listen to him if it took all night long. Fitz hoped it didn't come to that because he had to be back at the hospital by nine a.m. to work his own shift, and he needed to get some sleep. But this took precedence for now.

When she couldn't keep quiet any longer, couldn't tone him out for another minute, and finally did acknowledge him, she shifted gears to downright defiance. She wasn't going to do it. Any of it. Nothing on his little list of insanity was going to touch her life in any way, shape, or form. And he was crazy as hell if he thought otherwise. This tall skinny man wasn't going to make her change one iota in her life. Oh, he could try. He wouldn't succeed, but he could try. He had all of the information in front of him and was talking to her like she was seven years old instead of sixty seven.

She folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips at him defiantly. Maybe she was acting like a seven year old. She was way past caring at this point and she wasn't going to listen to him anymore. Toning him out was a lot more peaceful than arguing with him. He was just as stubborn as she was though, and he wouldn't let her speak her peace. For every question he had, she had an answer. He just didn't like her answers. That was too damn bad!

"No! I told you no when you mentioned it yesterday and my answer hasn't changed. No!"

"You haven't even listened to me though!" he replied angrily. "You haven't listened to anything your doctors have told you either, in fact. Changes need to be made. Don't you get that?"

"Don't you talk to me like one of your patients, doctor Grant!" She stated loudly, wagging her finger in front of his face. Inwardly, she gave him props for not flinching. "I am a grown ass woman who can decide what I eat or drink. And if I want coffee flowing through my veins in an IV twenty four seven then I'll have it!"

"You stubborn woman!" Fitz exclaimed. The two of them were having their conversation in the employee lounge. It was more like a wrestling match, minus the physical rough housing. "You have to take better care of yourself. You get that, right?"

"I know what I have to do. I'm a responsible adult. I don't need your resident ass on me night and day. Sending me texts. Asking what I'm eating for breakfast. If I'm drinking coffee. No! That is not providing health care. That is meddling and I won't have any part of it!"

"You need to breathe. Stress and anger are not helping your situation. Calm down. Look, Maureen. No one in this hospital wants anything to happen to you, least of all me. So, you're going to do whatever the hell I say. If I see you with a cup of coffee in your hand I'll..." he threatened.

"You'll what?" She asked, getting in his face.

Fitz stood his ground and tried to think of something creative to scare her with.

"I'm waiting over here!"

He took a deep breath in and then exhaled slowly to get his temper under control. This woman was testing his patience every way imaginable. He lowered his voice and spoke to her in a calmer tone, hoping that would get through to her better. "Look. I know you're scared. I am too. I really don't want anything to happen to you. Liv calls you my work mother. And...truth be told? That's how I see you too. We are family and family takes care of family. Besides, I'm not going to ask you to do anything that I'm not willing to do myself."

She put her hands on her hips and gave him a doubt filled look. "Are you a walking heart attack?"

"No. But I love coffee as much as the next person. And I'm going to give up two cups a day. It'll be how we start out. That's far less than half of the amount of coffee we drink in a day, so I think it's doable." He hoped she saw it that way.

"What the hell are we gonna drink instead, Doctor Grant? It had better be something good."

"How about decaf coffee?" He watched her face crinkle in disgust. "I know. It's not ideal, but it is a starting place. I'm willing to give it a try. Are you? I'll even buy it."

"Young doctors think they know every damn thing." She rolled her eyes at him. "Fine! I'll try it. But just because you are too damn annoying for me to keep having this conversation with."

Fitz grinned at her. "You won't regret it."

"MmmHmm. I already do."

"We'll start tomorrow. Go enjoy your last night of caffeine overload." He kissed her cheek and watched her calmly leave. That had gone...about as well as he had expected it to. Fitz knew nurse Maureen was stubborn, but he had no idea of the depths her stubbornness ran. And she had a set of lungs on her too! Nothing wrong with them. She scared the shit out of him a few times during that conversation. Now that she was gone, he took a deep breath in.

He was going to have to figure out how to tell her that in a week they were going to trade two more regular cups of coffee for decaf. By the end of the month, they would be strictly drinking all decaffeinated coffee. Then he'd start step two. The two of them going to the gym at the hospital together. He shuddered at the thought of having that discussion with her.

Gathering his research together, Fitz tucked it in the crook of his arm and headed for the nurse's station. He found a few nurses making notes, chatting amongst each other, and whatever else they did when they were together. He noticed that Maureen wasn't there. He took the opportunity to inform them of the changes.

"How'd it go, doctor Grant? I could hear yelling."

"It was an uphill climb, but she has agreed, after much brow beating from me, to change two cups of caffeinated coffee to decaf." He enlightened them.

"Oh my god."

"Why would you do that to us?"

"She's gonna be a bear to be around until she gets acclimated to it."

"I know it will be difficult for a few weeks, but this is just the first step in many of getting her caffeine intake lowered." He told them.

"Don't take it away from her altogether! She will go crazy."

"Working with all of you has already pushed me there." She muttered behind them.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Fitz chirped happily and put his arm around her.

"Uh uh! You are the devil right now." Maureen notified him with a glare. "You need to go on home and let me enjoy my last night of living my life the way I want to in peace."

"It's really not that big of a..."

"Go. Home. You are one of my favorite doctors, but I don't want to look at you right now. So, go on."

Fitz grinned at the nurses. "Translation...She thinks I'm amazing."

"You're about to become a patient here if you don't take your happy ass home, doctor Grant. Go bother Miss Olivia."

"Can't. I'm scared of that little woman." Fitz replied and kissed her cheek. "I'll be in touch with you."

"If you send a text to my phone one more time asking what I'm drinking, I will block your number."

The other nurses giggled while Fitz shook his head. "Tomorrow night I'll bring you a smoothie and you'll love it! I promise."

"Don't do that. You are on thin ice as it is to get your ass kicked. Bringing a glass of goo is not going to help that." She said sassily. He was on his way to the front door to go home. She knew he needed sleep. Just like she knew that boy was trying to help her get healthier. She appreciated him for taking the time and caring enough to go the extra mile to do that. It meant a lot to her. But he didn't need to know that. She was his work mother, after all. As such, she was entitled to give him a hard time. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

Fitz grinned at her and mentally high fived himself as he walked outside. He had just gotten her to take the first step in getting healthier and reducing her risk for a heart attack. True it had taken a conversation that lasted over forty minutes, but she had agreed to it. He was on top of the world! He could do this. And do it well. His belief in himself and his persuasive powers had Fitz floating home on a happy cloud. But first, he had an errand to run.

Olivia had dinner ready when he got there. "Would you please set the...What's this?" she asked him when he handed her a bag.

"I guess you gotta open it to find out, huh?" he replied.

"I love surprises!" Olivia exclaimed. She turned off the green beans at the stove and abandoned them, taking a seat at the table with the bag in hand.

Fitz watched her pull out a rectangular box wrapped in pretty floral wrapping paper from the bag. She picked up the box and he said, "no shaking the gift! Just open it."

"Man, you take the fun out of everything." She said with a grin. She peeled back the paper slowly and carefully until it was in a pile on the floor. She immediately recognized the name on the box and her face lit up. "Please tell me there isn't an ugly sweater in here?"

Fitz chuckled. "Open it and see."

The look on her face when she pulled back the cardboard lid, revealing the mustard yellow patent leather shoes was one he will never forget. Fitz watched as she lovingly ran her fingers over both shoes in a moment of quiet reverence. When that moment was over and she came back to her senses, Olivia checked to make sure the size was right and then squinted up at him. "But how did you know which store on west forty-fourth street? Or what size I wear?"

"I have my ways." was all he said. "I should think that a surprise like this would result in some happy kisses. Maybe a hug? Definitely some ass grabbing."

She set the box on the table and launched herself into his arms. "You are the best. You know it?"

He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off.

"Yea don't answer that. I'm well aware of just how much you know it. I don't know what I did to deserve this surprise but thank you. I absolutely love the shoes." She tilted her head to the right, fused her lips to his, and played with the curls at the back of his neck as he easily held her in his arms and happily continued kissing her.

After nuzzling in her neck and rubbing noses with her, Fitz begrudgingly set her back on her feet. "Let's see what they look like on you." He pulled out a chair, helped her in it, and squatted down in front of her. After pulling off her hot pink socks, he pulled the shoes from the box, one at a time, and slid them on her feet.

Olivia stood up and walked around for a minute. They fit her perfectly. She had a million questions, but right now she didn't care because she had heaven on her feet. Her eyes grew wide and before she began to dash out of the room she exclaimed, "I'm going to wear these to work tomorrow! Help me pick out an outfit!"

Fitz caught her hand before she could get away though. He put his arms around her waist and grinned at her. "Look at this. With these shoes on, you are almost as tall as I am. I kinda like that."

"You do huh?" she asked, putting her own arms around his waist.

"Oh yea. The easier to kiss you with, my dear." he said in his best wicked witch of the west imitation.

"That needs work." Olivia joked. "I love my shoes. Thank you for being so thoughtful and surprising me with them. I love you."

"You're welcome. I know you're excited about your shoes and that you want to wear them to work tomorrow, but let's enjoy dinner first. Then you can call James and see if he can come by and help you with the clothes. You know I'm no good at that shit. It's another reason I love to wear scrubs. It takes the guesswork out of regular clothing." he admitted.

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to dress up like a real doctor, you know?" Olivia smiled at him and pecked his lips before going back to the stove and putting the green beans in a bowl. "Set the table would ya?"

Fitz dutifully set the table while Olivia brought their dinner over to the center of it. Barbeque chicken, baked potatoes, and salad. It made for a colorful plate and he realized the minute he saw all of the food on the table that he was starving. They sat down and began making spooning food. "Looks great. Thanks for cooking tonight, Liv."

"You're welcome. So, how did it go with Maureen? Did she throw anything at you?"

He chuckled. "No. I'm pretty sure she wanted to, but she didn't. She actually agreed to the change."

"Wow. That's fantastic! That's a huge first step, Fitz. You should be really proud of yourself."

"I am pretty proud of myself. I don't know what I said to sway her, but I'm just glad it worked. I don't want anything to happen to her, Liv."

She reached for his hand. "I know you don't. How fast did she say no to the smoothie idea?"

Fitz gave her a superior look. "She agreed to that too!"

"Wooooow! You're quite a salesman! It's probably all the text messages you keep bombarding her with? It's probably driving her crazy, Fitz. You might want to stop doing that for a while?" Poor Maureen, Olivia thought. She knew more than anyone how relentless Fitz was once he had decided something in his mind. Maureen probably would have agreed to anything to get him to stop.

"I think I'm going to double up on it this week." He said, taking a bite of salad.

"You're terrible" she chuckled.

"I forgot to tell you the biggest news of all." Fitz said proudly.

"Oh yea? What's that?"

"I've decided on my specialty."

"Let me guess, cardiology?" she said.

"Liv! You're supposed to let me have my big moment to announce it myself."

"Shit. I'm sorry. Rewind that last bit."

Why was she so fucking cute? God, he loved her. He grinned at her, cleared his throat and, in the exact same voice said, "I've decided on my specialty."

"You have? That's amazing!" she gushed giddily with wide eyes. "What is it?"

"Cardiology."

Olivia knit her brow at him. "Really? I never saw that one coming."

"That's it!" Fitz got to his feet and picked his tiny queen up, throwing her over his shoulder and began tickling her. "Everyone is a smartass around here."

"Stop it! Stop it! Fitz!" she shrieked.

He set her on her feet once more and pushed her hair out of her face. "I love you so much. Thanks for putting up with me."

"I love you too. And thanks for choosing cardiology. You'll be able to afford more beautiful pricy surprises just like these." She answered.

 **I know the past few chapters have been mostly about Fitz, but like I mentioned in my AN, I had already written them. I wanted us to see Olivia & Fitz deal with their work stuff - passing the bar & choosing a specialty - instead of having it already it done when the story started. I've never done that in a story, and while some guest reviewers might not like that, it's what I wanted to do. The next chapter will deal with what happened at the work dinner. Thank you for hanging in here with me as I wrote them in this season of life. Let me know what you think.**


	35. Taking Care of You

**Taking Care of You**

"I...hate...you." she panted out.

"You love me. Admit it." Fitz said with a grin.

She shook her head back and forth violently. "NO! I really...really..." she took a few deep breaths in and out before continuing. "...hate you."

"Yea, Liv says that all the time too. In my head I change the word hate to love because I know it's what you really mean."

She glared at him through tired eyes. "Can I stop now?"

Fitz looked over at the face of her machine. "You still have thirty seconds to go. Come on! You can do it!"

"I'm going to murder your happy ass before this is over."

"There you go! By the time this is over, at least you'll have the strength to murder me. That's a good goal." Fitz joked.

Maureen began to cackle, in spite of herself. He was crazy as hell. The two of them were walking on side by side treadmills in the hospital cardio therapy gym. They came up here every day to put in a total of thirty minutes of work on different machines.

Today was day three.

Maureen's body told her that she had been doing things that she hadn't been doing in a long time. Probably ever. Muscles hurt in places where she didn't know she had them. It felt like she was doing more damage to her lungs and heart by over working them than helping anything.

She had never been a physical health nut. Not by a long shot. She was overweight but not obese. She was a grandmother, and she looked the part of one with a little chubbiness around her middle. Okay, maybe more than a little. So what! She liked food but rarely over ate. It was the kinds of foods she liked that was detrimental to her heart.

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with lots of butter, gravy, steak, a good greasy cheeseburger – either made at home or gotten from a fast food joint -, bacon, coffee, and just about anything sweet. These were all known as the no-no foods now. And that was no damn fun at all! Maureen wondered what the hell she was supposed to eat if it wasn't any of those foods!? There wasn't anything left that tasted good!

Doctors were pains in the ass that were out to make your life a living hell. Just like the one jogging happily beside her. She glanced to her left with contempt in her eyes. He was the biggest pain in the ass of them all. Of course, he seemed to genuinely care about her and her health more than the rest of them too. She didn't want to, but she gave him credit for that. He came in to work out with her before her shifts instead of being at home and sleeping. He sent her encouraging text messages. He got on her ass when she ate something she shouldn't. But he did it in a gentle way. Maureen appreciate that about him. He wasn't an asshole about it.

She had heard through the grapevine that he had chosen cariology as his specialty. It made her listen to his instruction a little more. It made her smile when her phone lit up with a message from him. It made her prouder of him, knowing he had chosen a field of medicine where he was going to do so much good and be so well liked by his patients. And she was his first one. Unofficially, but still. She was proud of Fitz.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today." he said, reaching over and turning off her machine. "You did great. You're getting stronger already."

"How in the hell do you know that in just three days?" she demanded.

"Because you're bitching about it a whole lot less." he replied with a grin.

They wiped down the grips, seats, and buttons of the equipment they had used with alcohol wipes and grabbed their bags. They stepped out into the hall and Fitz locked the door. "So, have you chosen your specialty yet? It's got to be coming up on time for you to be doing that."

Fitz smiled as they walked towards the elevator. He knew that she knew, but he entertained her anyways. "I did. I guess I forgot to tell you? I chose pediatrics."

Maureen whipped her head up to look at him. "But I thought you chose cardiology?"

Fitz pointed a finger at her with a huge grin and sang, "GOTCHA!"

"Yea, I definitely hate you." she muttered.

"Why would I want to spend my time with a bunch of cute kids who would think I am a funny and amazing guy when I could be spending my time with...seasoned people..."

"Watch it with that shit!"

"...who love to tell me that they hate me?"

"Well, when you put it that way, why don't you go into pediatrics?" she chuckled.

"Nah. It would make my baby fever spike even worse."

Maureen stopped walking and looked up at him. "You want kids?"

"Hell yea I want kids. Some day. Don't you think Liv and me would have cute kids?"

"As long as they look like their mother, yes."

"Agreed. But they have to have my amazing sense of humor."

"Oh boy." She rolled her eyes and kept walking. The two of them got onto the elevator and they both stepped out on the bottom floor. "Go home, Fitz. You need some sleep before your shift starts in the morning."

"Have a good shift tonight. Drink your smoothie! I'll know if you don't. I have eyes evvvverywhere!"

"And I'll poke them all out if any of them tells on me." she laughed. "Go."

Across town Olivia was still at the firm. It was way past quitting time, but this was important and should have been taken care of weeks ago. But Ms. Wotawa had a two week vacation and when she got back Olivia had been knee deep in a big case which had been followed up with a court date and a big win for her. Her very first officially solo win.

But now, it was the calm before the next big storm, and she wanted to clarify a few things with her boss. Olivia had scheduled this late afternoon meeting to get it out of the way. To end the day with the uncomfortable conversation that needed to be had between the two women, and knowing, hoping that tomorrow would start with a clean slate for them.

Olivia hadn't been waiting long when she was told by Mrs. Wotawa's administrative secretary to go in to her boss' office. She pushed the large wooden door open and stepped inside. The huge office had plush carpet and the room was beautifully decorated in earth tones. From the artwork to the color of the carpeting. Everything was simple yet elegant.

Ms. Wotawa stood and went to Olivia. "I'm so very glad to see that you scheduled this meeting. I've been wanting to talk to you, but it's been so damned busy for all of us around here lately. It seems I just haven't had a free moment for anything other than playing catch up with work ever since I got back from vacation with my husband." She gestured for Olivia to take a seat and she took the one beside her.

Olivia was surprised at seeing her boss sit down in one of the visitor chairs beside her instead of the one behind her large wooden desk. It took her a moment, but once she composed herself, she took the seat beside her. "How is the Senator?"

A genuine smile crossed Mindy's face. "He is great actually. A vacation was just what the two of us needed. Time alone is good for every relationship, as I'm sure you are well aware."

"I am. And I'm glad the two of you enjoyed your trip away. I'm sure it's difficult for him to get away for very long without work missing him. You too probably?" Olivia asked.

"That's very true, Olivia. But it's always something. It'll always be something. Something will come up or someone will need something. Something pressing will demand attention. But that's life. Sometimes you have to grab life by the throat and push it out of the way. No matter how often you are needed or demanded, you have to make time for your relationship. Make it a priority. It's very important."

Olivia smiled and decided to think on her words later on. "The reason I scheduled this appointment is because there is something very important that I need to discuss with you. I should have talked to you about it long before now, but as you already said, we've all been very busy. And I'm hoping that when we are finished with this conversation, we won't ever talk about it again? That things between you and I as co-workers and women will be settled with no hard feelings? It's what I want to accomplish."

"I admire your bold forthrightness; Olivia and I must admit I'm very glad that you scheduled this meeting."

"You might not think that when I tell you why I scheduled it?" Olivia said.

Mindy smiled at the younger woman. "Oh, I believe I know why you scheduled this meeting as well."

Olivia's eyebrows dropped and she said, "you do?"

"Does it have to do with the dinner the company hosted at that restaurant a few weeks ago?" Ms. Wotawa asked patiently.

"It does." She needed to stop replying in two word answers. She was starting to sound like an imbecile. Olivia was completely caught off guard and wondered how her boss knew what it was she intended to talk with her about? "But...How did you know that?"

Mindy gave a tight smile. "While I was on vacation with my husband, we talked quite a bit. About any and everything, as we have always done throughout our marriage. One night the two of us were at dinner and it brought back memories of the company dinner."

"The two of you had joined other people for dinner?"

"No, nothing like that. It was just the two of us, but I was...well, I was being very hands on with him under the table." She admitted.

"Ahhh!" Olivia replied knowingly. "That explains the connection."

"Yes, so imagine my shock when I am flirting shamelessly with my husband and make mention of the company get together where I was behaving in the same manner, and he asks me what I'm talking about? I thought surely he was playing. It turns out he wasn't playing and, well, the conversation was more than a little uncomfortable to have."

"I can imagine." Olivia said quietly.

She touched Olivia on the hand. "I am so very sorry for my behavior. I'm sure your boyfriend must be outraged and feel victimized by what happened? I never intended for Fitz to become entangled in our little flirtation. The truth of the matter is we had started celebrating before we even left the house that night. I had brought in a rather large new client to the firm and the Senator insisted on champagne even though he knows it goes straight to my head. Probably because he knows that. I'm rambling." She looks at Olivia, giving her a small smile. "I'm sorry."

"I take full responsibility for what happened at dinner that night. I would like to talk to Fitz about it. To personally extend my deepest regret for what I did. Unless he doesn't want that. Whatever he wants. Accidental or not, no one should be made to feel that way by another person. I really am so very sorry."

"I don't think that will be necessary, Ms. Wot..."

The older woman waved her hand dismissively in front of her face. "Please. Call me Mindy."

Olivia smiled. "Mindy. I don't fight Fitz's battles for him. He is a grown man and can take care of himself. But because this happened at an unofficial company gathering with my co-workers, I felt the need to address it myself. You and your husband are adults, and as such, you are free to act however you like. In the privacy of your own home or out in public. It's really nobody's business but your own what you do to and with each other. But when those actions affect an innocent bystander, it no longer is just your business and it no longer is appropriate.

I'm not here to lecture you on how to act or tell you what you can or cannot do, but I think you should consider keeping your hands on top of the table when you are in mixed company? Fitz is embarrassed by what happened and he did feel victimized initially. I could tell that when he explained it all to me. He was shocked and rendered mute to say much about making you stop because you are one of my bosses."

Mindy put her hands over her mouth and closed her eyes.

"The two of us discussed it at some length the following day. He isn't going to do anything about it. He knows it was an accident and that you thought you were touching your husband." Olivia touched Mindy's hand. "But one day, you are going to accidentally touch the wrong person and they are going to file a lawsuit against you for sexual assault. And not only will they win, they will ruin the sterling reputation that you have worked so hard to make for yourself. Not only yours but the firms as well."

"You are right, of course." Mindy conceded. "Again, I'm very sorry for what happened. Please convey my deepest apologies to Fitz for me. It will never happen again, I assure you. I have learned my lesson."

"Then the right thing was accomplished." Olivia stated confidently. "As I said in the beginning, I don't want this conversation to make our work relationship uncomfortable in any way. I respect you both as an attorney and a woman. The last thing I want is for us to have to tiptoe around each other."

"I appreciate you for coming directly to me, Olivia. You could have spread what happened like wildfire around the firm. But you chose the direct path, to deal with it head on. That makes you someone that I respect and admire, and it says a lot about your character. I really am glad that we could talk about this and deal with it openly like adults. Thank you."

The two women shook hands and Olivia bid her boss a good evening. She felt better as she headed home. Lighter. Bolder too. She knew she had handled the situation as delicately as possible but got her point across at the same time with a stern warning mixed in for good measure. She hoped her boss would in fact heed the advice.

She crawled out of the backseat of the cab and rode in the elevator up to the apartment. James was just getting in too and she stopped to talk to him for a minute out in the hall. They made plans to go to lunch together one day next week, and maybe sneak in a little shopping afterwards.

Inside the apartment something smelled fantastic. Fitz was at the stove cooking something. She stood behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head in the middle of his back. He rubbed her arm and said, "you're late. Did you have a good day?"

"I did. I'm sorry I'm late and didn't let you know." He smelled of soap and his hair was still damp from his shower. It was a comfortable feeling to nuzzle against her clean man.

"It's okay. I just got here about twenty minutes ago."

"And your first thought was to cook your woman dinner?"

He smiled and rubbed circles on her arm. "It was. I knew you'd come home starving because you probably skipped lunch because you were busy." When she didn't reply, he set the large plastic spoon down and turned to face her. There was some exhaustion on her face. She hid it well, but it was there just the same. But there was something else there too. Pride? Satisfaction? He couldn't tell. Not for sure. He debated between asking her about it and letting her tell him whatever it was. He decided that she would get around to telling him when she was ready. "I like to take care of you."

"I like to take care of you too." she stated and pecked his lips.

"I think we are both very good at taking care of each other."

"We are. I did my part for you this afternoon, as a matter of fact." Olivia informed him.

His eyebrows went up into his forehead. "You did? What exactly did you do?"

"I talked to Ms. Wotawa about what happened in the restaurant a few weeks ago."

This was interesting to Fitz. As far as he knew, they had decided to let it go and never bring it up again. He hoped she was planning to elaborate on this statement? "You did? How well did that go over?"

"Very well actually. She said she hadn't been free ever since she got back from vacation to come to me, but that she's wanted to."

"Do you think she was telling the truth?" he asked.

"I believed her. She said while she and the Senator were on vacation, the situation came up in conversation one night. When he didn't know what she was talking about, they had a conversation about it and the truth came out. She was mortified to learn what she had accidentally done."

She looked up into his blue eyes. He didn't seem mad, but since she was in clarifying mode, she wanted to make sure. "I know we said we were going to drop it and leave it alone, but I couldn't. I'm sorry, Fitz. I needed for her to know what she had done to you. And that it wasn't okay. Even if she didn't know she had done it. I warned her not to behave that way in mixed company. That it would come back to bite her on the ass one day and she wouldn't like the repercussions of it."

Fitz smiled at the woman in front of him. She was a wonder. A gift. He was a lucky man to have found her. "You said all of that to your boss? You have had a busy day."

"I did. You're not mad, are you?"

"How could I be mad at you? You defended me, Liv. When I was willing to just let it go to avoid embarrassment for anyone you stood up for me." He pulled her close for a warm hug. "I think you're a badass and I love you for doing that for me. Really. It means a lot to me. Thank you."

Now it felt settled to Olivia. She knew in this moment that she had done the right thing in standing up to her boss. That the issue needed to be addressed, and she was glad she had done it. She held onto him just as tightly as he was holding her. "You're welcome. When is the food gonna be ready?"

He pulled away from her and through a grin asked, "you're hungry, huh?"

She leaned over him, picked up a raw carrot, and took a bite. "You were right about lunch. But I wasn't hungry until I was sitting in her office. Standing up for you made me ravenous. How much longer til dinner is done?"

He pecked her lips. "The chicken and rice will be done in about fifteen minutes. The salad is already done. Why don't you go put on something comfy, like one of my t-shirts, so I have something nice to look at while I eat. Kinda like the olden days."

"I might be able to come up with something a little nicer than one of your raggedy old t-shirts? I'll meet you at the table in fifteen minutes. You just be ready to eat cold dinner later on."

"Defending my honor and sex all after a full day's work. It's a big day for you." he called out to her retreating back.

"It's the life of a badass" she called back as she kept walking until she disappeared into their bedroom.


	36. Adventure Time

**Adventure Time**

"I can't believe we both have the whole weekend off! We should do something!" Olivia exclaimed excitedly.

"What would you like to do?" Fitz asked. It was Thursday night and the happy couple were cuddling on the couch as the evening news droned on in the background.

"I don't know. Let's...get away! Go somewhere we've never been to before. Go on an adventure!" Olivia said with a big smile.

She sounded like a little kid and her enthusiasm was contagious. "Well, how do we know what we haven't done if we've never done it before?" Fitz pointed out.

"You want to play the game never have I ever, adventure edition? Because things could get real enlightening real fast!" She wondered what his answer would be.

"Bring it on, smartass. You can even ask the first question."

"A bold move. I like your confidence." Olivia teased. Suddenly, her eyes popped wide open and she yelled, "wait!" The cat jumped off the couch as if it were on fire and went to hide in the spare bedroom. "We need shots to play this game."

"Real enlightening real fast." Fitz replied with a crooked smile. He pat her ass as she quickly got up and brought back a bottle and two shot glasses to the couch.

She plopped down beside him and filled the tiny glasses with whiskey. "Okay, here goes. Never have I ever been camping."

Fitz looked at Olivia and Olivia looked at Fitz.

"What do we do if we've never done that?" he asked. "I don't remember how to play this game."

"If you've been camping then you take a shot." Olivia instructed.

"Okay" Fitz said and didn't move. "And if you have then you take a drink, right?"

"Yea."

"So, why aren't you drinking?" he asked, looking at her full glass.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Olivia asked, eyeing his full glass.

"Because you just said I only drink if I've gone camping."

Olivia stared at him. "I'm not drinking because the person who makes the statement is supposed to say something that they've never done."

"You've never been camping?" Fitz accused.

Olivia shook her head back and forth. "You've never been camping either?"

"No." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was always more focused on getting good grades so I could go to college."

"What does that have to do with going camping?" Olivia asked with a confused look.

"Why have you never been camping, if you're such hot shit?"

"Because there's nowhere to go camping in New York without it costing an arm and a leg." she replied. "Did we really just discover something neither one of us have done before without having to drink at all? We suck at this game."

She looked more than a little disappointed, so Fitz clinked their glasses together and said, "it looks like we're camping this weekend."

When their glasses were empty, Olivia said, "We need to buy sleeping bags and stuff."

He squinted at her. "What kind of stuff?"

"A tent would be good. Other than that, I have no idea. We'll have to google it."

Fitz put his arm around her shoulder. "We are going to do something neither one of us has ever done before. And we are going to do it together."

"Doctor Daring in the wild is something I can't wait to see."

"Would you like to see some of my skills right now?" he asked with a boyish grin.

Olivia giggled. "Save it for the tent tomorrow night. It'll be so romantic."

"Fine, buzzkill. When do you want to go shopping for our camping shit?"

"Now."

"As in right now? But I'm all comfy with you right now." He nuzzled in her neck.

"Don't be a baby. If we go get everything tonight then tomorrow night we can leave after we get home from work."

"But that means I have to get up now." he whined.

"Get up!" Olivia jumped to her feet. She wasn't that excited to go out tonight either, but she knew when they were on their way to the campsite tomorrow, they would be happy that they got everything taken care of tonight. "You got your wallet?"

"Of course. I don't leave home without it."

The next afternoon the happy couple arrived home within fifteen minutes of each other. Fitz had packed up everything the night before and was actually feeling excited to go camping with Olivia for his first time. He had already changed into jeans and a long sleeved shirt with tennis shoes. He felt rugged and manly, shedding his doctor persona and leaving it in the city. "Go get your cute ass changed and then let's get going."

"We are going to have sex in a tent for the first time together tonight. I can't wait." She sang the last three words as she began taking her clothing off and making her way into their room.

They and their stuff were dropped off in front of a large wooden cabin. They walked inside and proceeded to the long counter where two people with smiling faces waited to serve them. "Hello. How can I help you this afternoon?" a woman asked. She was petite with brown eyes and brown hair that was pulled up high in a ponytail.

"We reserved a campsite and need to check in." Fitz explained.

"Great. What name is it under?" She asked. Fitz gave his name and the woman began furiously typing on the keyboard. "Found you, Mr. Grant. You are staying with us for two nights, correct?"

"That's right." He replied. Olivia squeezed his hand excitedly, making him grin.

"Okay, and how would you like to pay? Cash, credit or debit card?"

Fitz slid a crisp one hundred dollar bill across the counter. "Cash please."

"Perfect." The brunette chirped. She gave him change and a brochure that highlighted the amenities. It showed the hiking trails, the picnic pavilion areas, indoor bathrooms – complete with hot showers and restrooms - the games area where horseshoes or volleyball were available, and of course, the lake where everyone went swimming or canoeing.

"This is gonna be so much fun! We've never been camping before." Olivia gushed as she continued looking over the brochure.

"Neither one of you has been camping before? Really?" the brunette asked. "Then you're in for a great weekend full of adventure in the great outdoors. Can I ask what made you choose us?

Olivia decided to go with honesty instead of ass kissing. "It was the first place to pop up on our Google search."

"Wonderful." the employee said and handed them the rest of their paperwork. "You're on site five oh two. If you need anything at all, feel free to come back here and ask. Otherwise, we will see you when you check out on Sunday at eleven. Enjoy your visit."

"Thank you. I'm sure we will." Fitz led the way outside wearing a backpack and carrying their tent as he held hands with Olivia. "I'm so excited to be camping with you, Liv."

"Me too!" Olivia exclaimed with a big grin.

They found their campsite and Olivia immediately began taking selfies everywhere. On the empty lot, with the grill, sitting at the picnic table, beside their stuff. Fitz made her stop and help him set up the tent while it was still daylight. She made him promise to take her hiking as soon as they were done.

Thirty minutes later, every piece was out of the neatly packed tent bag, but the tent still wasn't put together. "I don't get it." Fitz muttered. "I have done everything I can to put this damned thing together. Why is it still not standing upright?"

Olivia had grown tired of taking selfies and was getting aggravated instead. "I don't know but it's getting late. We need to be figuring it out so we can go for our walk. Maybe we can catch the sunset? If the tent gets put together soon."

"Have you ever put a tent together before?" he asked with impatience.

"No." she replied blandly.

"Neither have I. It's a learning process, Liv."

"It might be easier if you read the directions?" she suggested with a superior look. "Would you like for me to read them to you?"

"Fine. It'll give you something to do besides take three hundred and fourteen selfies all around the campsite."

She mocked the sound of his whiny voice as she made a face. "It'll give you something to do besides take three hundred and fourteen selfies all around the campsite."

He stopped working and looked over at her. "You know how much I hate it when you do that shit."

"Yes, I do." she said with a smile. Looking down at the paper in front of her she read, "step one."

Another half hour later, the tent was standing. But it was crooked. Fitz was feeling accomplished with it not lying in the gravel anymore and took the small crooked victory with pride. "Let's take a picture of the two of us in front of it."

"Ummmm, let's do it later?" Olivia suggested. The tent was in sad shape and she knew her social media account would get sarcastic comments because of it. "We should really get going on our hike right now."

"It'll just take a second. Come on, Liv. It's my first attempt at putting together a tent. I know it doesn't look perfect, but I did my best and that should count for something?"

That was a good point. To hell with the haters! "Let's do it!" Both of them stood in front of the tent and she snapped the picture of their two smiling faces. It just so happened that only a small portion of the tent made it into the photo. She posted the picture with a cute caption and slide her phone into her back pocket. "Let's go for a walk. It'll be dusk soon."

The two of them walked hand in hand up an incline. When the trees parted, they saw a breath taking view of the sun sinking behind the mountains in the distance in front of them. Olivia laid her head on his shoulder while his arm went around her. "That was beautiful. Camping is amazing."

"I'm glad we took the time to learn something new about each other too. That neither one of us has ever done this before. What a great first memory." He felt Olivia shudder and asked, "Are you ready to go back?"

She nodded and they began following the path back to the campsite.

They were about halfway back and discussing what they wanted to do tomorrow. "Let's rent a canoe." Olivia suggested.

"I didn't come all the way out here to paddle you around in a boat. We can do that in the city. We have done that in the city." he reminded her. "Let's go swimming instead."

"You just want to get me in my bathing suit." she said grinning at him and following his steps.

"You're a smart woman, counselor." Fitz stopped walking and turned around to face her. "I've never had sex in a lake before either. Have you?"

"Fitz! There will probably be kids in the water tomorrow. We're not having sex in the lake." She watched his face turn into a frown. It was kinda cute. "But I would enjoy sneaking you into the shower with me if you were up for that after we swim?"

"Mmmmm." He kissed her hungrily and then felt something wet on his face. "What in the hell..."

They both looked up at the sky. It was darker now, but not completely black. "Is it...raining?" Olivia asked.

Another drop hits their faces, followed by a few more. "It's definitely raining. Let's hurry and get back before it becomes a downpour."

"I hope the tent is still standing." Olivia jokes.

"You're welcome to sleep in the tent you put up." Fitz suggests with a chuckle.

"Hey! I helped!"

The rain was coming down a little more than sprinkling now and they were running. Olivia hurriedly unzipped the tent and they dove inside. "I don't want my sleeping bag to get wet." she whined.

"Then take off your wet clothes. Problem solved." Fitz told her with a lopsided smile.

She got up on her knees and pulled off her shoes, throwing them into the corner of the tent. "Good idea. Why don't we both get undressed and get started with the tent sex you promised me?"

"I like the way you think." Fitz zipped the tent closed and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it in the corner with her shoes.

In a matter of minutes, the wet clothing was all piled up in the corner of the tent and Olivia and Fitz were a mass of wandering hands and tangled bodies. Somehow, they had both gotten into the same sleeping bag and their bodies joined together as one in a flash. "Feels sooo good!" Fitz muttered into her neck.

"Tent sex is the best sex" Olivia agreed. "Told you it'd be romantic."

They were enjoying a slower pace, enjoying each other, with contented sighs and heart melting kisses. "I love you, Liv."

"I love you too. Always and forever."

"I want to ask you a question."

"Right now?" she chuckled.

"Yes, right now." he dipped his head and pecked her lips. "And I want you to be honest with me."

"I wouldn't lie to you."

"What are your thoughts on getting married?"

"What?" She yelled and stopped moving.

"You heard me."

"Why are you asking me that? Especially right now?"

"Because I want to know what you think about it."

"And you want me to be honest about it?"

"Yea."

"I love you. And that's never gonna change."

"That's good to know." he said and pecked her lips. "Now tell me what you think."

Olivia didn't know where to begin with how to explain to him how she felt about this topic. She had so many conflicting thoughts about it. Her heart told her one thing while her mind told her something else. As a lawyer, the rational side of her mind won out and she recalled the words her boss said to her recently. "We are both very busy people who are at the beginning of very demanding careers. You are always getting called into work at random times of the day and night. And I'm spending just as much time at the office as I am at home now. It's always something for one of us and it'll always be something. Something will come up or someone will need something. Something pressing will demand our attention."

"All of that is very true." Fitz agreed.

"Here comes the but..." Olivia muttered.

"But, say it's five years from now. We are both settled into our careers and have a good balance between our home and work lives. What does that future you think about getting married?"

At that moment the bottom fell out of the sky. Rain hammered into the medium sized beige tent and it began to leak. "Fitz! Why is there water inside the tent? It's like a waterfall of it."

It began to plummet down, hitting him between his bare shoulder blades making him yell loudly. "holy fuck! That water is freezing!" Fitz wasted no time removing himself from on top of Olivia's body. "I don't know why the tent is leaking! It's brand new! There shouldn't be holes in it yet!"

Olivia grabbed her cellphone and her fingers began to furiously move across the screen. She eventually stilled and finally said, "let me guess? You didn't seal it?"

Fitz had begun to get dressed but paused for a moment as words to that effect floated through his head. "The guy at the store said something about that to me but I thought he meant after we used it once or something like that."

Olivia held out a hand and watched as water dripped into it. "Obviously not, Fitz."

"Well excuse me! I've never been camping before, Liv! I didn't know!"

"What are we gonna do now? We can't very well seal it now that it's raining, now can we?" She was cold and wet and hadn't gotten an orgasm and she figured for all those reasons she was allowed to be yelling at him right now.

"Let's just go home. This was a stupid idea."

She started to laugh. She couldn't help it. Touching his cheek, she said, "we should have looked at the weather forecast before we lost our minds first is all. Other than the rain, it's been really fun."

"Are we done being sentimental now? Can we please go home? I don't want to sleep in a wet bed."

She called a cab to come and get them and began throwing their wet clothes into a bag out in the rain while Fitz took the tent down. He was using the most colorful language as he angrily pulled stakes out of the ground and threw skinny metal poles on the ground.

Fucking stupid tent was a piece of shit. Leaking in the rain before they could even sleep in it once. Or have sex in it. Not to mention the fact that he would never get it inside the oblong bag that in came in. It was all a rip off. He really didn't want to go home but he knew he wasn't staying inside a wet tent either. As he threw another tent pole, it bounced off a metal trashcan nearby. That decided everything that happened afterwards.

He threw the tent, poles, stakes, bag and all into the trashcan and helped Olivia gather their stuff together. Staying dry was hopeless and the stopped trying. They got into the taxi and Fitz rattled off an address that wasn't home. Olivia settled against Fitz's side and said, "I hate camping. We are never doing that again."

"Agreed. You are the smartest woman I know. And now we both know why we've never done it before."

"Where are we going?"

He kissed her temple. "It's a surprise."

They pulled up in front of a huge rustic looking log cabin twenty minutes later. "What's this place?"

"It's the great outdoors inside. Let's go check in." he said, kissing her hand.

The inside of their cabin looked like a log cabin. It had a high wooden ceiling, gleaming exposed beams, a rock fireplace, lots of big picture windows, and even a deer head mounted onto the wall. It was very rustic and homey and open. The two of them got settled into their waterproof room and took turns taking showers to get warm. The minute Fitz was out of the shower, he dried off and crawled into the bed beside Olivia. She laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled close to him as they watched the rain continue to fall outside. "This is sooooo much better."

"MmmmHmmm. I'll never take a dry bed for granted again." He rolled them over so that she was underneath him. "I believe that we have some unfinished business to tend to."

She grinned up at him and rubbed his warm clean smelling skin. "Do we? I might need you to freshen my memory."

He didn't get the opportunity to because she guided his hard length to her opening and arched her back, taking all of him in. Fitz held onto her and leaned down closer to her face. He nibbled on her bottom lip before bringing it into his mouth to gently suck on. When he released it, he ravaged her mouth with his, letting his tongue slither into her mouth. Tent sex wasn't shit! Cabin sex was much better!

"Consider my mind refreshed." Olivia panted.

"Nice try, Liv. But that wasn't what I was referring to." Fitz said, smiling down at her. "I know you hope that I had forgotten what we were talking about once the rain hit, but I didn't. I'm a doctor and we are a stickler for details. I asked you what your five years from now future self would say about being married. Remember?"

Damn him for remembering! He was part elephant, Olivia was convinced. And she knew which parts of him definitely reminded her of elephants. She faked the remembering though. "Oh yeaaaa. That's right. Well, five years from now I would very much like to be married. As long as my husband takes me to cabins to take advantage of me in."

Fitz rolled them again so that Liv was on top of him. He pinched her ass until she yelped. "So, in five years you'd be okay with being married to me? How about three?"

"I think we should stick with the original time line of five years. It just has a cleaner sound to it. A nice well rounded number. Five. That's the goal we are shooting for."

"I can live with that. But if you change your mind about hurrying along your time line just keep me posted."

"You'll be the first to know." she promised.

They rolled on the bed once more. "Now, can you please stop talking about our future so that I can bring you across the finish line? It's been way too long since I've heard you scream my name and it turns me on something fierce."

"Let's see what you got." she teased.


	37. Growth

**Growth**

"It'll be fine, Liv. Stop stressing out!" Fitz put his hands on Olivia's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "It's a weekend visit. No big deal."

"No big deal? No big deal?" she repeated. She gave a humorless laugh and shrugged his hands off of her. "You don't know my mother very well do you?"

"I don't know her at all since I've never actually met her."

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "That's true. Since she is making the trip to visit both me and Emily, you are going to get the chance to meet her tomorrow. I wonder if something is up with her?"

"What do you mean?" Fitz asked.

Olivia plopped down on the sofa, as if she didn't have a million and one things to do to prepare for her mother's visit. "She doesn't just swing by to say hello and to see how me and Em are doing. Something is going on in her life. She's got news or something. This isn't a simple visit. I'm kinda glad she went to see Emily first though. She'll be a little more relaxed."

Fitz sat down beside her. "What do you think she's up to? You think she's on the run from the law? From a lover?"

"Jesus, your imagination is a weird place." Olivia got a far away look on her face. "It's probably none of that stuff, but there is definitely something going on. She doesn't just pop in for a visit out of the blue. Not with me anyways. It's a little different with Em, but something just feels off and I can't put my finger on it."

"I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it is, huh?" he asked with a smile.

She shot him an impatient look. "Why are you sitting on your ass when there's cleaning to be done?"

"You're sitting on your ass." Fitz reminded her.

Olivia dismissed that point as her thoughts stayed on her mother. "She is going to come in here like a happy little whirlwind and leave the same way. And she's going to wreak havoc in her path. Don't let her come in between us."

"I don't really think your mother is going to try to do that, Liv."

"She might." Olivia said. "It won't be intentional, but it could happen And she'll think she's helping. It's hard to explain, but it's her way. I think it's how all mothers are?"

Fitz pulled Olivia onto his lap. "No getting in between us. Check. No letting her upset my favorite female. Check. If I have to put her up in a hotel to get her away from here, I'll do it. And I'll pay with..."

"A check?" Olivia asked with an eyeroll.

"No. A credit card. Hotels don't take checks." he dug his finger into her ribs causing her to shriek loudly.

"You're such a dork. But you're also my damn hero." Olivia said, putting her arms around his neck and hugging him close. "Now. We've got to get this place clean or she will bitch about that the second she walks in the door."

The apartment smelled like a truck full of lemons had tipped over in it. He looked around the kitchen and living rooms. The floors gleamed, the countertops were shiny, and everything looked like it had been dusted to look brand new. There was literally nothing left to clean. But Fitz knew Olivia. She would come up with a list of ridiculous things that she thought required attention. So, he asked the question she was waiting for him to ask. "What do you want me to do?"

"You are my favorite person in the whole world." She happily replied. "It's like you were reading my mind."

"What an absolutely adorable apartment." Olivia's mother gushed as she stepped inside the next day. "This is definitely a step up from the last apartment you had."

Olivia knew the sound of a backhanded compliment when she heard one. She smiled at her mother politely and simply said, "thank you. We like it here."

"Of course you do. What's not to like?" She glanced around her daughter's apartment and wondered when she would meet her boyfriend. "When do you expect Fitz?"

Olivia set her purse down on the small table nearby and said, "His schedule is a little less scattered now that he has chosen his specialty, but it's still not the typical nine to five office hours. He usually stays for a little while after his shift ends to help one of the nurses. She is one of his favorites and she is having some health problems lately. Fitz should be home before too long."

"That's fine. It'll give us a chance to catch up some." Olivia's mother replied with a smile.

The two of them sat down side by side on the sofa, turning to face each other. "What have you been up to? I'll admit that I was a little surprised by your news of coming to visit. I know how much you hate New York." Olivia said.

"It's true that I'm not a fan of the city, but I'll always be a fan of yours. And it has been a while since I've seen you. I was hoping to put it off for another two weeks so I could be here for your birthday, but I couldn't shift my schedule for it. I did bring you a present though." She handed her daughter a small wrapped box.

"Mom, you didn't have to do that. I'm too old for birthday gifts, don't you think?" Olivia asked.

"You'll always be my baby. Besides, it's not much. Just a little something I saw when I was visiting your sister that made me think of you."

Olivia unwrapped the small box and opened the lid. A giddy squeal erupted from her throat. "Oh my goodness! These are perfect!"

It was a pair of sterling silver earrings. One was the gavel and the other was the scales of justice. "I'm glad you like them. They just seemed fitting now that you are finally putting that law degree to good use."

"Passing the bar was no easy feat." Olivia admitted as she began putting the earrings into the small holes on her earlobes.

"It may have taken you a few tries, but you got there and that's what matters. You'll be a partner before long at that all female firm. And they will be lucky to have you." She said, pointing a finger at her daughter.

"You're not a little bit biased are you, momma?" Olivia asked with a grin.

"Of course I am. But that doesn't make it less true."

Olivia hugged her mother. "Thank you. For the gift and the encouragement. You've always been a great giver of both of those things."

The front door opened, and the two women looked up to see Fitz's smiling face. "Hello ladies."

Olivia went to him and put her arms around his neck. Rising on her tiptoes, she pecked his lips and asked, "how was your day?"

Fitz's smile never left his face. "It was great." Looking at Olivia's mother, he extended his arm and stated, "you must be Isla?"

He was tall, just like Liv said. And handsome. And polite. She smiled up at him. "I am. It's so nice to finally meet you, Fitz. To put a face with the name I keep hearing so much about."

"I couldn't agree more." he said, shaking her hand. "It's very nice to meet you too. I hope you had a good trip into the city?"

"It was great. Perfect traveling weather." Isla commented.

"Good. Liv and I would like to take you out to dinner, but I've got to jump in the shower and wash the hospital off of me first. Will both of you be ready to leave in, say, twenty minutes?" Fitz asked.

"That's enough time for Olivia to give me the grand tour of your apartment and then I can freshen up before we go."

"Sounds good." Fitz was ready to go in fifteen minutes, and surprisingly, so were the women.

The three of them sat down in chairs at a nearby restaurant thirty minutes later. "This place has the best lasagna." Olivia informed her mother with a smile filled with anticipation.

"It's been a while since I've had good lasagna. It's one of those dishes I never learned how to make but love to eat." Isla admitted.

"I know how to make it. I'd be happy to show you how." Fitz offered, putting his napkin on his lap.

Both women turned their heads in his direction and gave him a surprised look.

"You need to marry him, Liv. Today if possible." Isla said in a serious tone.

Olivia chuckled at her mother. "I didn't know you could make lasagna, Fitz. You've never made it at home."

"I've never made shrimp scampi either, but I know how to make that dish too." he told her.

"So, what you're saying is, you'll be doing the cooking a whole lot more often from now on."

"Personally, I like your mother's suggestion a whole lot better than cooking every night." he said in a dangerously low voice and held her hand on top of the table. He enjoyed watching the surprised expression spread across Olivia's face but made no effort to add more to what he had just said.

Isla silently took a sip of her drink and watched Olivia and Fitz interact with each other. They were cute together, and more importantly, they loved and respected each other deeply. She'd bet there would be wedding bells within a year. Knowing her stubborn daughter, maybe a year and a half. Fitz seemed like a good man who would take care of Olivia no matter what. It was a comfort to know. Maybe her news would speed that along a little faster?

"Do the three of you know what you'd like to order? Or do you need a few more minutes?" the waiter asked. The three at the table looked at each other questioningly before nodding and murmuring that they were ready to order now. Once the orders had been taken, the menus were picked up and the waiter left.

"Have you spoken to Emily since I left from my visit?" Isla asked.

"I feel like I haven't talked to my sister in years instead of weeks." Olivia lamented. "How is she and Andrew doing? Are they still as cute as ever together?"

Isla smiled at her younger daughter. "If they weren't so cute it would be nauseating. Just like the two of you."

"Emily and Andrew are in a league of their own with their cuteness. Olivia and I aspire to be that adorable someday. Don't we, Liv?" Fitz gently squeezed her hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing it.

"We do" she said with a giggle. Turning back to her mother she asked, "how are they? I really need to call them soon."

"You really do. You're going to be an aunt in the spring." Isla told them.

Olivia's eyes grew wide at the news. "What? Emily is going to be a momma?"

Isla nodded and watched for Fitz's reaction.

"That's wonderful news. Emily and Andrew are going to be amazing parents." Fitz chirped. "We should call them tonight and offer our congratulations."

Olivia was still processing the information. "Waitaminute!" she exclaimed.

Fitz and Isla looked at her, wondering what was going through her mind and waiting to hear about it.

"I'm going to be someone's aunt?"

"How lucky is that baby?" Fitz said with a grin. "Aunt Olivia."

She grinned back at him. "Aunt Lib."

"Those are the cutest words in the English language. Come here and give me a kiss, Aunt Lib." Fitz chuckled.

Olivia's smiling lips gently touched Fitz's for an instant before she excitedly pulled back and said, "you're gonna be uncle Fitz. Ohmygod, that is adorable. I can't wait to hear my niece or nephew call you that."

"It's my niece or nephew too. Maybe Emily and Andrew will let us babysit sometimes? That could be fun?"

"I've got to call Emily tonight and talk about all of it with her. How she's feeling. What they want to have. Figure out a baby shower. All of it! I'm so excited!" Olivia said.

The food was brought out and set down in front of each of them before the waiter disappeared again. "What about the two of you?"

"What about us?" Olivia asked, spearing a piece of grilled chicken and sticking it into her mouth.

"Do the two of you have any plans of having children or getting married?"

Fitz smiled at Isla, grateful for the question. Olivia needed to hear it from someone other than him. If this was Isla coming between the two of them, Fitz welcomed the wedge. He was interested in Olivia's answer. He was also smart enough to not add his unsolicited two cents worth on the matter. He quietly ate his food and left the matter in Olivia's hands.

She should have known this question was coming. Her mother was nothing if diligent. The problem was this question had been on her mind a whole hell of a lot more often ever since she and Fitz had discussed it on their recent failed camping expedition. Olivia had been pleased to learn that she wasn't completely opposed to the idea of marrying him. She had been trying to figure out how to bring the topic back up for discussion without coming across as flighty. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind in the way of bringing it back up, but Olivia figured she'd work with it.

She took a sip of her wine, knowing four eyes were on her. When her glass was back on the table, she smiled at her mother and said, "Fitz and I have discussed it. Recently in fact."

"Really?" Isla asked and casually sat back in her chair to listen to the rest of her daughter's words. "What was the verdict?"

Olivia cast a nervous glance over at Fitz. "We decided to wait five years to get married."

"Five years?" Isla asked impatiently. They'd never make it past two.

"Five years. We are both very busy with our professions, and our careers are just getting off the ground."

"You do realize that you can be married and have a career at the same time, right?" her mother asked with more impatience.

"I've been thinking about it though..." Olivia looked over at Fitz again before adding, "and I think five years is too long to wait."

Did he hear her right? Did she just say what he thought she said? He stared at her for a long time, studying her face as his eyes flicked back and forth between hers. He wanted to give his thoughts a voice, but he also didn't want to jinx anything, so he kept quiet and let her continue to talk it out. Maybe she just needed to do that?

Olivia smiled at him. He had heard the words she had wanted him to. She could tell by the look on his face. "We're still really busy with work and we have a long way to go before we're at the marrying place, but five years seems like forever in the grand scheme of things. Like you said, momma, we can have a career and be married at the same time. Who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind again next week?"

Isla was listening to her daughter but watching Fitz. It was obvious that Fitz didn't know about Olivia's change of plans. He was wise enough not to get worked up over it and begin celebrating. He was a smart man. The two of them were well matched. She'd be looking for an invitation in the mail before her first grandchild was born.

One daughter was having her first baby and the other one was opening up to the idea of getting married. Life seemed pretty damn good at the moment, in Isla's opinion. She was glad neither daughter had rushed into their relationships or decisions but had taken their time to contemplate what the end result of those decisions would be. She was also glad that she wasn't too old to enjoy her grandchildren. Or to see a new son in law being brought into the family.


	38. Birthday Girl

**Birthday Girl**

Everyone was crouched down out of sight somewhere where Olivia couldn't see them. The office was well lit, but it appeared that everyone who worked there had gone home earlier than normal. Olivia had returned from lunch and her face was in her phone as she began making her way to her cubicle to put her purse away when she finally noticed it. The silence.

She raised her eyes from her cellphone to look around. No one was to be found. She turned in a circle, looking for signs of life, but found none. Several people took their lunch breaks from noon to one, but there were always lots of other employees still working. Some people who took their lunch break earlier than noon or skipped lunch altogether some days, depending on their schedule.

Was there a meeting scheduled that she had missed? She didn't think so, but it would explain the quiet. She looked back down at her phone for alerts. There was nothing there about a meeting. Before she could raise her eyes back up and try to find someone, loud voices yelled, "SURPRISE!" Her co-workers popped out from their hiding spots and began singing happy birthday to her.

Olivia raised a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. "You guys scared the shit out of me."

When the song ended, Olivia was grinning down at a birthday cake decorated with white frosting and confetti sprinkles with red letters that simply said HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA. A lone candle was lit in the center of the cake. She was told to make a wish before blowing out the candle. A devious smile crossed her face before she took a breath and blew out the candle. Her co-workers cheered for her simple success. White frosted slices of chocolate cake were passed around and everyone ate happily.

When Olivia finished her piece of cake and told everyone thank you, she made her way to her work area. There were a couple of gifts on her desk. It was nice of her co-workers to have bought her something for her birthday. Unnecessary but nice.

The first gift was a new peach blouse. It was beautiful and in her size. The card inside told her it was from Mrs. Haughton and Olivia made a mental note to tell her thank you and compliment her great taste. She couldn't wait to show it to James and decide on what to pair it with so she could wear it to work on Monday.

The second gift was a small box that was wrapped in shiny silver paper. She pulled the lid off and looked inside. It was filled with little pieces of silver confetti. Olivia narrowed her eyes at it and dragged a finger through the confetti. There was something underneath it. A tiny piece of paper that said:  
 _I know a secret. Pretty soon you will too_

Olivia picked up her head and looked around to see if she would make eye contact with the person who had left it on her desk. No one was looking at her though. She flipped the box over, looking for the name of the giver. There was nothing on it. Weird. She set it aside, but not out of her mind.

She received a gift card for a massage at a local spa. It was from Ms. Wotawa. Olivia grinned and put it in her purse. She would be setting up an appointment and using that gift very soon. She got a gorgeous set of baby pink silk pajamas from Miss Barber. Mrs. Greene gave her a bottle of wine that was a favorite of Olivia's.

As nice as all the gifts were, her mind was drawn back to the little box sitting on her desk. Olivia picked it up and turned it over in her hand. She wondered what the secret was, and when she would be finding out what it was too? Was it work related? Something about a case? Or was it concerning something else?

"Have you opened all your gifts, Liv?"

Olivia looked up from her overactive imagination Scooby Doo moment and was met with Abby's sparkling green eyes. She smiled at her. "As a matter of fact, I have. Why do you ask?"

"Because I wanted to make sure you saved the best for last. My gift." Abby chuckled and thrust a gift bag towards her. "Here ya go."

She gave the redhead a skeptical look. "The bar is set pretty high with the gifts. It's gonna be tough for you to top what I've already gotten."

A superior look crossed Abby's face. "I don't even need to know what you got from the others. I know I've got this."

"Let's take a look then." Olivia pulled the white tissue paper out of the small green bag and set it on her desk. Olivia moved her head closer to the opening of the bag with narrowed eyes. "What is that?"

She reached her hand inside and pulled out two small rectangular pieces of paper. Looking back up at Abby, Olivia asked, "are these tickets?"

"Reading is fundamental, bitch. What do they...?" Abby joked.

"OHMYGOD!" Olivia yelled. She brought a hand to her mouth and covered it as she looked around to make sure no one had broken their neck to make sure she was alright. Her eyes were about to bulge out of her head. "You got us Beyoncé tickets?"

"Front row. In Washington D.C. How's that for a birthday gift?" Abby asked with a grin.

Olivia studied the tickets again and then began jumping up and down, clutching the tickets. "We are going to see Beyoncé!"

"Best gift ever?" Abby asked.

"Best gift so far." Olivia corrected.

Abby scowled at her friend and co-worker. "You expecting more, greedy?"

Olivia grinned. "I haven't gotten Fitz's gift yet."

The redhead rolled her eyes dramatically and chuckled. "Ok, second best gift. Not even I can can't compete with sex."

"Thank you for admitting it. I hear that is the first step in getting better." Olivia replied chuckling too. "Thank you for the tickets. You and I are going to make a girl's night of it. Dinner, flying to D.C., concert, seeing the sights in D.C. the next day, and then flying back home."

"This is going to be awfully damn fun. My birthday is in October, by the way and I love extravagant gifts too."

"I would write it down, but I have a feeling you'll remind me a lot between now and then." Olivia hugged Abby and said, "thank you. Really. It's the coolest gift anyone has ever given to me."

"I know." Abby said confidently. "I've gotta get back to work now that I've made your day. In case I don't see you before you leave, have a great evening with your best gift ever."

Olivia chuckled and shook her head back and forth.

At two o'clock, Ms. Wotawa stopped by Olivia's desk and said, "are you at a stopping place with whatever you are working on?"

Not understanding why, she would be asking that question, but curious about it, Olivia said, "yes m'am. I can stop where I am with this. Is there something you need me to help with? Or something else I should be working on?"

"No. Nothing like that. I wanted to tell you to scoot on out of here." her boss replied with a smile.

"I...I don't understand." Olivia said with a frown.

"Go home early, Olivia. It's your birthday and I'm telling you to take the rest of the afternoon off. With pay, naturally." Olivia continued to frown up at her boss from her seat behind the desk. "Go!"

Olivia smiled at her. It would be nice to have a few hours alone at the apartment. Maybe she'd soak in a birthday bath? Or sit around in her pink bathrobe eating junk food? Or take a nap? They all sounded like nice ideas. She wasn't about to question the offer again. Olivia grabbed her purse, stood up, and said, "thank you. For the gift card at the spa and for letting me go early."

"You're welcome. Now go before someone sees you and asks you to do something."

She slid her key into the lock, turned the doorknob, and stepped inside. The cat met her at the door and wished her happy birthday. Technically he just meowed softly, but to Olivia he was letting her know he had remembered that it was her birthday. She set her purse down and picked him up, rubbing his black fur. "You're the sweetest boy in the world, aren't you?"

Shadow meowed and nudged his head under her chin for more cuddles.

"You're also spoiled rotten." Olivia chuckled. She sat down on the sofa with him and asked the cat a serious question. "What do you do around here all day long while we're gone? Hmmm?"

Shadow wasn't giving that information up. He was content to just let his owner hold and pet him as he closed his eyes and purred loudly. Olivia heard a key in the front door and looked up to see Fitz walk in. She frowned at him and asked, "what are you doing home this early?"

"Well, hello to you too." Fitz said on a chuckle. He set his keys and the two grocery store bags in his hands down and went to sit beside her on the couch. The two of them pecked lips and Fitz asked, "what are you doing home this early?"

Olivia shrugged. "Ms. Wotawa gave me the afternoon off."

Fitz began petting the cat too and he purred even louder. He brought his attention away from the furry brat to his favorite female. "Oh? What'd she do that for?"

Olivia stared at him for a moment. Did he really just forget it was her birthday? What the hell?! Boyfriends are supposed to know that information. It's Boyfriend 101! If he didn't know, she wasn't going to tell him. "I don't know. I guess it was a slow day." She changed the subject. "What about you? Was your day a slow one at the hospital?"

Shadow got up off of Olivia's lap and padded his way over to Fitz's chest where he dropped himself, tucking his head under Fitz's chin and closing his eyes while the large hands continued to pet him roughly.

Did he just steal her baby? On her birthday? The one he forgot about? Olivia eyed the man with contempt as he rattled on about his day at work. He seemed unfazed by it all, as if it were a common occurrence. Still, she listened because she actually did care about how his day had gone. "How's Maureen doing? I need to get over there and see her soon. It seems like it's been months since I've seen her last."

"She's doing much better now that she isn't dragging her ass about making changes in her life. I think she is starting to feel better and it's pushing her to try even harder. You should come by the hospital with me sometime before her shift starts. You can walk on the treadmills with us." Fitz offered.

"That actually sounds like fun. One day this week?" she offered. It seemed like they weren't going to be doing anything for her birthday. It would be good to see Maureen again.

"She would love that." Fitz picked up the sleeping cat, gently removing Shadow's clinging claws from his shirt, and put him back in Olivia's arms. He pressed a kiss to her temple, stood up, and said, "I thought we could cook dinner together tonight?"

Happy to have her baby back to herself Olivia asked, "That depends. What are we making?"

"California grilled chicken and corn on the cob."

"That sounds really good. I'll be in charge of doing the corn. The chicken sounds like a challenge."

"Oh, it is. It's chicken breast with mozzarella, tomato, avocado stacked on top of it and balsamic glaze drizzled over it all. It's a recipe I found online. It sounds like a lot, but I think I can make it fairly decently."

"After hearing that description, I'm definitely sticking with the corn." Olivia replied.

Fitz smiled at her. "That works. Listen, since you're home early and we have plenty of time before we start on dinner, why don't you go ahead and take a bath. I've got a few emails to send, people to annoy really, and I'm sure the thought of you enjoying some quiet time probably ran through your mind before I came home and ruined it?"

Olivia smiled at him. "You didn't ruin anything. I'm glad you're here. But you're absolutely right. I think I'll take a bath. You're welcome to join me."

He leaned towards her, putting his hands on the back of the couch and caging her in. A predatory gleam was in his eye as he leaned even closer to her face. "Inviting me into your bath would defeat the purpose of you enjoying some quiet time, now wouldn't it?"

"Would it?" she asked innocently.

He nipped her bottom lip and then pulled it into his mouth, sucking on it.

The cat scampered away, probably pissed off that his quiet time had just been ruined.

Fitz felt her arms come up around his neck, and greedily pull him closer while she deepened the kiss. As much as he would have loved to scoop her up and carry her to their bed, he knew she had plans of enjoying a bath for one. He wasn't going to thwart her plans. Besides, he had his own shit to do. He hated himself as it did it, but Fitz reached up to his neck and pulled her hands off of him. "Go take your bath. I'll take one with you next time."

She tried to pout at him, in an effort to get Fitz to change his mind, but he turned and walked into the kitchen and began putting the food away. She stuck her tongue out at his back and went to grab something to wear after she got out of the tub.

Thirty minutes later, Olivia felt like a brand new woman. Not only was she clean she was completely relaxed too. So much so, that she felt like she could sleep for days. She trudged into the bedroom, yawned loudly, and crawled into the bed. She could hear Fitz's muffled voice in the guest bedroom, but she had no idea who he was talking to or what about. Neither did she care at the moment. She closed her eyes and was asleep within minutes.

Sometime later, Olivia was dreaming about food. She was the only person in a restaurant sitting at a table in the middle of the room. The wait staff brought her dish after dish to sample. Dishes the chef had specifically cooked for her to try because he was making a menu in Olivia's honor and personally wanted her signature of approval on each dish before adding them.

Every dish was beautifully presented, and each dish tasted better than the one before it. Olivia loved them all. When the last dish had been tested and approved, the smiling chef came out to the dining room and made his way to his only guest. He stood tall and proud as the petite woman raved about the food. She had not one bad word to say about anything she had tasted. It had all been divine.

The chef thanked her profusely for taking the time to come to his restaurant and sampling every dish he made to honor her with. He just knew that people would love eating the same foods that she had eaten. That information alone would bring them out in droves to eat dinner there.

Olivia smiled shyly and thanked the chef once again for delighting her with his amazing food creations.

The chef gently took her hand and brought his lips down to her knuckles and planted a kiss there. "You honor me so, Olivia."

"It is you who honors me." she told him.

"Olivia? Liv? Liv?"

She squinted up at him. Why was his face changing? And what had happened to his beautiful French accent? His voice was deeper somehow. And familiar. She squinted at him.

"Liv? Earth to Olivia?"

Finally, her eyes opened, and she realized it had all been a dream. She was looking up into the sparkling beautiful blue eyes that belonged to her favorite person in the world. "Are you awake now?" he asked.

She blinked her eyes slowly one time and stretched lazily before nodding mutely.

He dipped his head, so his lips hovered just above hers. His nose rubbed against the side of hers and he smiled at her before saying, "hi."

"Hi." Olivia replied. She returned his smile and touched his cheek.

"What were you just dreaming about?" he asked.

"Nothing." she answered.

His smile turned into a full on grin. "You're a terrible liar. I'm gonna need for you to work on that if I'm going to retire in the lap of luxury while you continue to work."

She couldn't help it. She was grinning too. "If you must know, I was dreaming about food."

"Are you hungry?" he asked with a smirk on his handsome face.

"For you? Always."

Fitz watched with laser like intensity as Olivia slowly licked her lips. She was trying to steal his concentration and it was working. He had to get them out of this room. "That's not quite what I meant. But maybe later?"

"But I want you right now." she whined. "And I should get what I want bec..." Olivia clamped her lips together tightly. She wasn't going to tell him it was her birthday. He would feel bad and she didn't want that.

"You can't have what you want all the time. Didn't your mother tell you that when you were a kid? My mother told me that at least a hundred times a week. Besides, I think you were dreaming about food because while you were sleeping, I cooked dinner."

A smile slowly crossed her face. "You did? Did you do the corn too? Please say that you cooked everything."

"I did." he said chuckling down at her.

"You are my hero."

"Heroes always get the girl, you know." Fitz said, rubbing his thumb across her lips.

"I've been trying to give myself to you for the last few minutes." she said sarcastically.

"Maybe you could try again after dinner? And the dishes are done? And the kitchen is clean?"

"So domesticated and worried about the kitchen." she replied with a grin. "Fine. But before we go out there I think you should give me a motivation kiss."

"What?" he asked on a laugh.

"You heard me. I want a..."

He took the breath from her lungs as his mouth connected with hers and his tongue slid into her mouth. He knew it was a bad idea and not part of the plan he had concocted, but Olivia wanted a kiss and who was he to tell her no when he wanted one just as much as she did? Her fingers threaded through his curls and pulled him impossibly closer as the heat between them began to turn into an all consuming inferno.

She was so soft and warm. And dammit she smelled good too. Like that body wash she used on her gorgeous, smooth, brown skin that left it smelling like something sweet and delicious. He wanted to sample other parts of her now too, and as his mind roamed the thought of it, his hands roamed her skin. She was breathless but refused to separate their mouths to drag air into her lungs. She felt amazing underneath him. So willing and ready.

STOP! His brain screamed. This is not the plan. Stick. With. The. Plan!

Fuck the plan! his crotch quite plainly told his brain. This is now and it's gonna be great!

As both sides presented their case, Fitz's concentration began to waver. He came to his senses and begrudgingly pulled his mouth away from her very eager one.

No sex? His crotch demanded?

He thought about it for a second and his brain threw a middle finger up at his crotch. No sex.

What the hell was happening to him? Olivia was looking up at him expectantly through clouded eyes as she breathed heavily. It would all make sense soon enough. He rested his forehead on top of hers until her breathing calmed. Fitz got up on his knees and extended a hand to her. "Come on. Let's go eat dinner while it's still hot."

Olivia stared at his hand in confusion. When she realized he wasn't playing with her, that he was serious, and that sex wasn't happening, she reached for his offered hand and he pulled her up. "I'm just gonna put on some clothes first. I'll be right out."

Fitz nodded and left the room.

Olivia wondered what was going on. Fitz never turned down sex. Ever! She wanted to know more than anything what he had been thinking. Apparently, he had been as hungry as she was. She sighed heavily and yanked open drawers and pulled out a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. On the way to the door she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was sticking out of the pile she had pinned it up in before she got into the tub earlier. Sleeping on it hadn't helped. Oh well. It was just dinner at home with Fitz. No need to be fancy.

To be continued...


	39. Happy Birthday

**Happy Birthday**

She was more than a little cranky when she joined Fitz in the small dining room to eat dinner. She was starving, but five minutes ago it wasn't for food, and he had turned her down. What the hell was that all about anyways? He never turned down sex. If it wasn't so mortifying to come to terms with, Olivia would have asked him about it and demanded an answer. Instead, she sat at the table. The...perfectly made table.

Her eyes took in everything on the small wooden eating space. There was usually a lace table runner laying down the center of it. It was something Olivia had found out shopping before they moved. In its place was a tablecloth. An actual tablecloth. A pretty one too.

Why was there a tablecloth on the table? There were wine glasses on it too. He must have found the bottle she got at work for her birthday. She also noticed the table was set extra pretty. She had a bread plate above her fork. Where in the hell had that come from? Olivia wasn't aware that they even owned bread plates! A knife was laid perfectly across the plate.

Just when she was beginning to feel like she had entered the Twilight Zone, Fitz said, "do you mind pouring the wine while I bring the food over?"

Her eyes snapped up to him. He had his back to her and was doing something at the kitchen counter. "I got it." Olivia picked up the chilled bottle and poured generous amounts of the red liquid in both glasses. She set the bottle down and took her seat and a sip from her glass. "Why is everything so fancy? It's just the two of us. Right?" What if he had invited someone else to come over? She looked like shit! "Fiiiitz?"

He brought their salads and set them down in front of their settings. "Relax. It's just you and me." He gave a little shrug. "I thought it might be nice to make dinner a little more special for your birthday?"

All of her uneasiness over what had transpired in their bedroom disappeared. Her shocked expression turned into a smile. "You knew it was my birthday?"

"Of course I knew." He assured her. "It's why I made you a special dinner. It's why I set the table a little nicer. It's also why I made you get out of bed. I put a lot of work into this dinner and I wanted us to enjoy it while it was hot. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings?"

"You didn't. I just didn't understand what was happening."

"I didn't want to get up any more than you did, if it makes you feel better? But your birthday only comes around once a year and I wanted it to be special. I hope it is."

She should have known that he had the very best reasons for turning her down. He did it to make her birthday nice. And wasn't that sweet, she decided. "The table looks beautiful. You outdid yourself on setting it."

"I hope the food is just as good as the table I set it for? Let's eat." He said enthusiastically.

Fitz brought the stacked chicken creation and it was amazing! The avocado brought such a great taste to the chicken. She wasn't even half way done with it and already wanted more. "You're going to have to make this again. It's soooo good."

"Don't get filled up on that. I made dessert too." he told me.

"You made dessert? When? While I was asleep?"

"Okay, I bought dessert. Same thing more or less." he conceded.

"I really want this chicken. I'll eat the dessert tomorrow night."

"NO!" he shouted.

The shocked expression on her face must have caught him off guard. "What I mean is, tonight's dessert is toooooooo...celebrate your birthday. Yea. You have to blow out the candle and all that. You can't exactly do that tomorrow because it won't be your birthday tomorrow."

"Yea, that makes sense. I'm going to save the other half of my chicken then. And you'd better not eat it."

"I promise I won't touch it."

They talked about work for a while. Cases, patients, their co-workers. He told her about the exciting things he was learning in cardiology with his attending, a man Fitz had already come to highly respect. She told him about a case she had been assigned to just last week and the details of it. He updated her on Maureen's progress, and Liv told him about Abby buying the concert tickets. The conversation flowed smoothly whenever they spoke about work, even though they tried not to talk about it very often while they were at home.

When they finished with the chicken Fitz stood up and took their plates into the kitchen. He wrapped what was left of Olivia's piece of chicken in tin foil and put it in the refrigerator. She was sipping her wine in a daydream sort of state when she realized that he hadn't come back with their desserts yet. He'd been in the kitchen for quite a while now. Olivia emptied her glass and poured a little more for herself. "Fitz? Did you get lost?" she chuckled.

He took a deep breath and shakily let it out. He was really doing this. Was he crazy as hell for doing this? Why was he changing the plan? Was she going to remind him of her plan? The one he agreed to with a big smile on his stupid face? Would she just say no? Or let's wait? How would he recover from something like that? Shit he was nervous! "C...Coming!" he called back.

He pulled a thin candle from the package and set it in the middle of the extravagantly decorated pink cupcake. It sank down through the fluffy frosting and moist cake. He pinched the ring between his thumb and index finger and looked at it. Such a little silver circle with a not so little diamond. Fitz put the ring over the candle and dropped it on the icing. The ring sat neatly on the cupcake with the candle standing proudly in the middle of it.

It was now or never, Fitz.

He lit the candle, deciding that it most definitely was now. He picked up the dessert plate and slowly carried it to the table as he began singing Happy Birthday. Olivia had her eyes on him as he sang. She was smiling the most beautiful smile he had ever seen on her face. She was happy. She was gonna say yes. He hoped.

The short song ended, but still Fitz held onto the plate. Olivia looked up at him expectantly, but he didn't move. He was too scared of the unknown. What she would say to him? "Fitz? Can I have my birthday dessert please? I kinda need to blow out the candle."

"And make a wish." he whispered.

"And make a wish." Olivia echoed. He was acting weird. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he definitely was. When he still made no attempt to give her the cupcake, Olivia looked at the table in front of her and began moving things that weren't really in the way. An unused fork. Her napkin. She looked back up at him and pat the table with a smile.

Fitz gulped. He could swear he felt sweat running down the crack of his ass. She was going to say no. He was about to be humiliated. Why did he do this? It was the stupidest idea he had ever...

"Fitz? Gimme the damn cupcake. Now please." Olivia demanded.

There was no getting out of it now. As if touching blown glass, Fitz gently put the plate in front of Olivia. What now? Should he run? Turn around? Go do the dishes? Pack his stuff? What now? Might as well watch the carnage up close.

He saw her face the moment she spotted the ring. The imaginary sweat suddenly felt like a waterfall. Her eyes doubled in size and she brought her hands up to cover her mouth. Two seconds later she stood up and hugged him tightly as he stood there like a zombie with his arms next to his sides. What had just happened?

It couldn't be a bad reaction. Hugging was a good thing, right? Right?!

He held her tightly, still not sure what this meant or what kind of answer this was.

Olivia whispered into his ear. "How did you know?"

Was she...Fitz pulled back from her and put his finger under her chin to direct her face up to his. She was! Olivia was crying. Crying was always bad! Shit!

She studied his face as tears fell down her cheeks and asked him once again. "How did you know, Fitz?"

"Liv, please don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I promise. I'll take it away. Just don't cry. Please."

"How did you know? Just tell me." she asked a little louder.

He didn't know anything! That was the problem. And she was accusing him of knowing something. They had to get it cleared up. "I don't know what you're talking about. How did I know what?"

She sniffed. "How did you know I didn't want to wait any longer to get married to you?"

"You...what?" He crinkled his face and looked at her like she was crazy as hell. "You don't want to wait?" He was completely bewildered. There was ringing in his ears. This woman was going to be the death of him. And ironically, it would be a heart attack. "You want to get married before your five year plan is over?"

"I don't want to wait five years. I don't even want to wait one. But...If you didn't know that, why did you ask me?"

He smiled at her. She was going to say yes. A surge of confidence like he had never felt before bubbled just under the surface. "I haven't asked you anything yet, Liv. I think you are getting a little over excited? That is nothing more than a ring to congratulate you on all of your success as a lawyer so far. I mean, marriage? You're kinda pushing it aren't you?"

Olivia grinned up at him. She was going to marry this man. And one day she would have babies with him too. Life was going to be so much better with him as her husband. But he was right about one thing. He hadn't asked her anything yet. She could play it cool until he did ask. She picked up the candle that had almost burned down to the pretty frosting and threw it into her wine glass.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded.

"Because I don't need to make a wish. I got what I wanted. Well," she corrected. "I will have what I want as soon as a certain question is asked."

He was glad he only had to do this once. His heart couldn't take the ups and downs of doing it again. He took the ring off the cupcake and a napkin to clean it with too as he got down on one knee. "I planned a speech and you're getting it. The whole thing. If I had known you were going to be so easy going about it I wouldn't have worried so damn much. Practically gave myself a heart attack worrying about your answer."

Olivia giggled at him. Nervous Fitz was awfully adorable.

"When we talked about marriage, you said you wanted to wait. That we were both busy with our careers. Too busy to get married. You mentioned that I get called into work at weird hours and that now that you've become a badass lawyer, your case load is picking up. I am fine with all of that. You also said that something would always come up and need our attention. None of it is untrue."

"But?" Olivia prompted him.

Fitz smiled at her. She was going to be the most beautiful bride. He glanced down at the now polished frosting free ring. He threw the napkin on the table. "But, at the end of a day that's been really tough – emotionally or physically – I want to know that my wife is going to meet me at home when she's done being a badass and listen to me talk it out. And I want to do the same thing for her. I want to legally be yours for forever, and I want you to legally be mine forever. I want to have kids with you and buy a house with you and grow old with you and love you the very best way that I know how."

He had grown quiet and was looking up at her patiently. "I didn't hear a question in there, Mr. Grant."

"Olivia, will you please make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me? I promise to make it sound so sexy every time I call you Mrs. Grant?" He was chanting 'say yes, say yes, say yes' in his head.

"I absolutely will." She said with a grin.

"Lawyers always use three words when one is sufficient." Fitz happily slid the ring on her finger and scrambled to his feet to kiss her. When the kiss broke Olivia looked over his shoulder at the shiny silver ring on her finger.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed.

"What's the matter?" Fitz asked.

"It was YOU!"

"It probably was. I tend to do crazy stuff." He was experiencing such an emotional high right now that he didn't care what she was about to blame him for. "What are you specifically talking about though?"

Olivia pulled out of his arms. "You left a little box on my desk today."

"That does not sound like something I'd do." Fitz replied with a smile.

"Oh my god. It was you! This was the secret you knew that I would find out about soon!" She held her hand out, not able to stop looking at her beautiful ring. "The silver confetti was a hint for my silver ring. Awwwww."

"Liv, that thing came out of a gumball machine at the hospital breakroom." That ring looked so good on her finger. Fitz loved that she couldn't stop looking at it. He should have proposed a long time ago. "And for your information, I know a lot of secrets. But let's get some truth out of the way right now. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Oh boy. Here he goes."

"I think you need to sit down in the witness chair for this."

"Oh shit."

"Did you or did you not get off work early today..." He leaned down, lowered his voice, and said in a flirty voice, "future Mrs. Grant?"

"How did you know about that? What did you do?" Olivia asked with wide eyes. "Call me future Mrs. Grant again. That was kinda sexy."

He grinned down at her. "Who do you think arranged that early dismissal?"

"Ms. Wotawa?" she said with a shrug.

"Do you think your company just lets everyone leave early for their birthday?"

"You arranged that? How?"

"I'll ask the questions, future Mrs. Grant. Who is the one person at your office who would do just about anything for me there no questions asked?"

Olivia sucked in a breath. "Ms. Wotawa?"

"Mmmm Hmmm." He replied with a smirk.

"You did that for me? Fitz, that was so sweet and thoughtful."

"That's the kind of man you're marrying. A sweet and thoughtful one."

"What about the gift?" she asked.

"I may or may not have knowledge about that. I cannot recall at this time." He helped Olivia to stand and then pulled her onto his lap. Her arms went around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder. "I wanted you to have some hint about what I was doing tonight without giving it away. I love you, Liv and I can't wait to marry you."

"I can't believe that you proposed to me tonight. You know what I'm going to need for my wedding, right?" she asked with a smile.

Fitz didn't give a shit what she wanted. Whatever it was, she'd get it. Within reason, of course. He was curious enough to ask, "no, what?"

"New shoes."

"Smartass." He dug his fingers into her ribs and listened to her screech. "You know this wasn't plan A, right?"

"STOP IT!" She screamed through laughter. When she could talk and breathe at the same time she asked, "what was plan A?"

Now it was his turn to smile. "Plan A was taking you to dine with the yellow and red clown and hoping your ex would give us his employee discount on our food."

She was laughing just as hard as when he was tickling her. "You are crazy as hell, but oh my goodness I love you so much. I'm really glad you didn't listen to me about the five year plan and asked me to marry you. I need to ask you a question though."

"I'll allow it." he said, sounding all superior.

Olivia picked up her head and looked into his ocean blue eyes. "Can we please pick up where we left off in our bed..."

Fitz cut off her question by pressing his lips to hers in a hungry kiss. He lifted her into his arms and practically ran into their bedroom. He laid her down gently and covered her body with his. "I love you, Liv. Always and forever. Happy birthday."


	40. Home

**Home**

"No, no, no, no. Fitz! Don't do that!" Olivia hissed.

"Why not?" He chuckled. "It looks cute like that."

"What did you just say? It looks cute like...?" Olivia took a deep breath and mentally counted to three before continuing. The calm didn't last long though. "I cannot believe you actually said that! No, Fitz! It doesn't look cute. It looks stupid. STOP IT!"

"You stop it! It's adorable and you know it!" Fitz's animated voice got louder and louder with each word.

A tiny contented face turned red and began wailing at an ear splitting level. Tucker Bentley Grant had been born the day before, weighing seven pounds and seven ounces and measured at twenty-one inches long. He had blue eyes, curly hair, and a sweet disposition. But at this moment, he wasn't too happy with his parents arguing over how his hat should sit on his head. He had been sleeping after all and the two of them had disrupted that. He decided to take the attention off his hat for a while the only way he knew how.

The loud distressing sound broke through Fitz and Olivia's ridiculous argument and had both adults freezing all movement. "Are you happy now? You pissed him off!" Olivia scowled at Fitz and scooped up the tiny newborn from the hospital bed he had just been asleep on.

"I pissed him off? I did no such thing! I was trying to put his little green hat on him so we could go home."

"You were tilting it on his head as if he was a crazy teenager. It needs to cover his cute little ears." Olivia shook her head back and forth at her husband of five years as she gently bounced their tiny son in her arms and repeated the same sound. "Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh."

"Why does it need to cover his ears? It's eighty degrees outside!" Fitz craned his head to look at their sons crinkled up still mad face. "I guess I really did piss him off though, huh? I'm sorry, buddy. I was just trying to make you look cool for your first car ride."

After a few minutes the baby quieted and eventually fell asleep in his mother's arms. Olivia pulled him from her shoulder and cradled her son in her arms. After a few minutes of looking down at him she couldn't resist any longer, and she bent her head and kissed his soft cheek. "You were born looking cool. Isn't that right, Squish?"

"I'm sorry. What did you just call my son?" Fitz asked in utter disbelief.

"I was in labor with him for eleven hours. I squeezed his ginormous head out of a very small opening on my body. He was born looking exactly like you! I'll call OUR son whatever I want to call him." She whispered and stuck her tongue out at him. The amazing little bundle of everything adorable in the world was here and the eleven painful hours seemed like a distant memory now instead of yesterday. "You were kind of amazing too, Fitz. Holding my hand and encouraging me without being annoying about it."

Fitz sat on the narrow hospital bed beside his wife and smiled at her. She had given birth almost twenty four hours ago and had been a friggin rock star through the whole thing. She was much stronger than she realized. It had been amazing for him to watch her focus so much power on the task of delivering their son. "Thank you. But I didn't do anything compared to you, Liv. You were phenomenal. Really."

Olivia laid her head against Fitz's side and his arm automatically came around her as she continued to hold the baby. The new parents looked down lovingly at him. "He's perfect in every way."

They were in complete wonder that he was really theirs. He had on a white onesie that had the words 'Hi. I'm new here' printed on it. He also had on a mint green hat, that was still sitting crooked on his little head, thanks to his father. His lower half was covered with a pair of black and white stripped cotton pants with mint green at the waist and ankles. Olivia couldn't help herself, and straightened his hat, effectively covering both of the baby's ears. "I have a feeling that Abby is gonna try to steal him." she chuckled.

"That crazy redhead isn't allowed anywhere near Tucker." Fitz declared.

"That crazy redhead is his godmother, so that's going to be a little difficult. Isn't it, Squish?" Olivia kissed her son's other cheek. "How did we get the best looking kid in the world?"

"Ummm, hello?" Fitz gestured to himself. "This DNA is the best."

Olivia ignored her husband and went back to admiring her son.

"Come on, Liv. Admit it. You said it yourself, he looks just like me."

"I think your daddy is a little bit crazy. Yes, I do."

"I think your mommy is a little bit..."

A pitiful cry abruptly came from the sleeping angel in Olivia's arms. She chuckled lightly and lifted him up to her lips and kissed the top of his hat covered head. "Right in the nick of time. I knew you'd end up being momma's boy."

The little one continued to cry, the noise getting louder and louder. "What's the matter with..." The question died on Fitz's lips. His head snapped up and his wide blue eyes stared into his wife's calm brown ones. He grinned like an idiot as he anxiously held out his arms and said, "It's time! Gimme him, Liv!"

"Let's calm down a little, Fitz." Olivia tried.

"You calm down. Little man is hungry and it's my turn to feed him his bottle. Hand over my child."

"If you want to keep this opportunity to feed him, you'll drop that 'my child' thing right now. It isn't cute at all."

"I'm sorry. I'm just excited. I've never fed a newborn before. And you keep holding him as if he's going to get up and run out of the room any second. I just want a turn too, Liv." He was pouting, but he didn't care. Fitz was gauging how well it was going over with Olivia as he tried out the tone. She seemed a little reluctant, but it was obvious that her new momma wall was breaking a little bit. He added some pressure. "He's my son too."

"You're ridiculous." she chuckled. "Do you remember how to hold him?"

"Olivia Grant. I'm a doctor. I've delivered dozens of babies. I think I know how to hold one." Fitz hoped his insecurity wasn't showing through.

"You're right. I'm sorry." She handed Fitz their son and got up to put the teeny tiny bottle together for him. Passing the miniscule thing to her husband, Olivia watched him like a hawk as he fed Tucker. "Do you think he'll ever eat more than this?"

The second his father slid the bottle between his gums, Tucker ceased his bird-like cry and began earnestly sucking. "Is that good stuff?" Fitz asked. Every little thing Tucker did captivated Fitz's full attention as if he had never seen it done before.

"It doesn't smell good." Olivia said crinkling her nose.

"Right?!" The new dad agreed. "It's just day one. He'll be drinking a whole big kid bottle of this stinky smelling stuff before you know it. Won't you, Tuck? Then you'll be big, strong, AND handsome just like your daddy. That's right."

"It's gonna be a long eighteen years." Olivia muttered.

Fitz chuckled and watched his son's eyes grow heavy and flutter closed completely. "Dude, you need to burp before you pass out. We can't have a little man who is cranky due to a belly ache." He pulled the bottle from his son's mouth and set it down on the tray table near the bed.

Tucker stretched, arching his back with his feet crossed at the ankles. He had his tiny hands balled up in tight little fists near his head and his face was turned to the left. His itty bitty lips were poking out as was his tiny hiney. Once he was all done stretching, Tucker closed his eyes once again and his newborn frame rested limply in his father's large hands.

Fitz laughed at his son. "What could possibly make you feel so exhausted all of a sudden, son?"

"It's hard work being born, huh Tuck?" Olivia cooed at her sleeping little one. "Only you and mommy know about that. Isn't that right?"

The largest Grant yawned loudly and said, "I don't know about that. I'm pretty wiped out too. Here. Take sleeping beauty and I'll go see if I can expedite our release papers so we can all go home and take a nap together." He pecked Olivia's lips and began to pass the baby to her when she grabbed the leg of his jeans. "Keep it in your pants, Liv. You just gave birth."

She burst into tears.

Fitz froze. Holding Tucker easily in one arm close to his chest, Fitz sat beside his wife on the small bed and tried to calm her down. In a soothing tone he asked, "Heyyyyy. I was just kidding. What's the matter? You don't want to go home?"

"What if we get him home and we don't know what to do?" Olivia asked fearfully.

"Liv. We took the classes. When he's wet we change him. When he's hungry we feed him. When he's tired, we put him to bed."

"Yea but what if we don't know that his hungry cry means he wants food and we change his diaper and he keeps crying? Orrrrrr we feed him, and he really just wants to go to sleep?"

"We'll figure it out together. There's no such thing as the perfect parents. Besides, you've got a..."

"Please don't say I've got a doctor at home and that should make it easier." Olivia interrupted on a sniff.

"I wasn't going to say that." Yes, he was. "I was going to say you've got a live in helper with lots of experience. Your mom will be here tonight and she's staying with us for the next two weeks. That should put your mind at ease some." Fitz offered up a silent prayer of thanks for the reminder of Olivia's mom's visit. "She raised a great human being. You and Tucker will be in good hands, right?"

Olivia let go of the breath she had been holding and wiped her eyes. "Yea. You're right. You're always right."

"I'm sorry, but can I please record that on my phone to play back in later arguments?"

She wiped her nose with a tissue and smiled up at him. "That's a big no. But thank you for making me feel better. I'm terrified of screwing this up. Screwing him up. Like, he'll grow up and be a crazy person because his mother had no idea how to be his mother. Is that normal?"

"I think so. Raising a human being to be a decent person is a scary thought and I love you for caring that much about it. But you're gonna be great at it." Fitz told her with confidence as the newborn began to fidget and whimper.

"How can you possibly know that?" Olivia asked doubtfully.

"Beeeecause..." Fitz began. He put the infant into his mother's arms and watched her gently sway Tucker as she continued to listen to her husband's crazy unproven explanation. The baby stopped whimpering and went back to sleep. Fitz smiled at her.

Olivia shot him an impatient look. "Because isn't a reason, Fitz. If you really believe that tell me why?"

He smiled at his wife. She had no idea how great she already was at this mothering thing. Instead of going straight for the explanation, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger on her smooth skin. Pulling away from her he looked down at the sleeping baby and said, "Because you already know what to do to quiet him down when he's unhappy."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia looked down at baby Grant, who was blissfully asleep in her arms.

"When I handed him to you, you automatically knew to sway with him. He didn't tell you what he needed. He wasn't even crying. But you knew what to do for Tucker anyways." His blue eyes lifted and waited for his wife's brown ones to connect with them.

When her gaze went from confusion to surprise to realization, Olivia smiled at him. She felt proud of herself for somehow instinctively knowing what to do for her son. It was a great feeling. "I did that."

"MmmmHmmm. You're a natural." He pressed his lips to her temple. "But for the record, it IS going to be easier because you have a doctor at home. I'm gonna go check on those papers now."

Olivia rolled her eyes at his retreating back. Looking down at Tucker, Olivia muttered, "you can look like him every day of your life, but please don't grow up to act like him." A knock on the door sounded and Olivia called for whoever it was to come in.

A familiar head poked around the door. "Is it ok for me to come in for a quick visit?"

"Absolutely." Olivia sang with a huge smile. "How are you doing?"

Nurse Maureen came and stood beside the bed, looking down at the new addition. She set the vase of pretty flowers down and waved her hand in the air dismissively. "I'm fine, but I didn't come here to talk about me. I came to see this cute little man." She pushed the edge of the blanket down from Tucker's chin and melted a whole bunch. "He is absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you." Olivia said smiling.

"Looks just like his father, I hate to say. Don't tell doctor Grant I called his son beautiful. All he'll hear is that he's beautiful and nobody wants to see his ego get any bigger than the ridiculous thing it already is."

Olivia giggled. "I thought I was the only one who thought that? Do you want to hold him?" Olivia asked.

"You know I do. I can't wait to tell the other nurses that I came to visit before my shift started and rub it in that I got to hold little Tucker." she chuckled. Once the baby was settled into her arms, she sighed happily. Looking up at Olivia she asked, "how are you feeling?"

"Mostly I'm fine."

"You're allowed to feel nervous and anxious and worried and fearful and happier than you've ever felt before. All of that is normal for a new momma."

"Really?" Olivia asked. She was grateful to have someone to talk to. Someone who didn't feel like they only had to tell her positive things.

"Of course. You just gave birth to perfection and your hormones are all over the place. You don't know whether to feel like the luckiest woman on earth or scared to death that you are gonna drop him. The good thing is that at this age, they sleep most of the time. And your body is recovering from giving birth, so you need to sleep a lot too. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about that either." Maureen explained with a pointed finger. "And take all the help you can get with him."

"Fitz basically told me the same thing, in his own little way. But I just assumed he was trying to make me feel better."

"What are you blaming me for now?" Fitz asked from the doorway. He had overheard the conversation and observed quietly, giving the two women a chance to talk.

"Nothing you don't deserve, I'm sure." Maureen replied with sass. "You have a very cute little boy, doctor Grant."

Fitz winked at her. "It's been said that he looks just like me. Lucky kid."

"How you live with this man every day is beyond me, Olivia." Maureen replied dryly.

"You're the real hero, Maureen. You work with him all the time. And when you're not working with him, he's riding your ass about what you eat or when you work out. I don't know how you haven't physically hurt him yet?" Olivia replied.

"You two are hilarious." He went to Maureen and reached down to pick up Tucker. "Maybe you should go out on the road and do a comedy tour. Just leave me and Tucker out of your craziness."

"Take this baby out of my arms and we are gonna fight, doctor Grant." Maureen challenged.

"No one likes a baby hog, Maureen." Fitz said dryly and took a seat next to his wife. He used the pouting voice again. "I'm never gonna get to hold him for more than five minutes, Liv."

"What the hell was that?" Maureen asked through squinted eyes. "Are you pouting at your wife, who just gave birth to your son?"

They were ganging up on him now. Time to divide and conquer. "Isn't it time for you to go to work?" Fitz asked.

Olivia giggled, clearly enjoying the interaction between these work colleagues. Fitz's nurse was giving him a run for his money and Olivia was relishing the fact that Maureen wasn't backing down from him. "Get him Maureen."

"Whose side are you on?" Fitz asked, turning his head to look at his wife.

"Yours, Fitz. I'm always on your side." she grinned.

"I still have five minutes until I start my shift. And since you won't be at work today, it's more like twenty-five. The doctor who delivered Mr. Tucker won't be coming around for another fifteen minutes, so you need to leave me be with this little boy until she gets here." Maureen explained.

"How do you possibly know the OBGYN won't be coming around for another fifteen minutes with their release papers?" Fitz asked.

"Because I slipped her a twenty and asked her to make sure this was her last stop on her check out rounds so I could enjoy brand new baby cuddles for as long as possible." She chuckled.

"You're good." Olivia admitted chuckling.

Just as Fitz was about to go looking for the doctor, she knocked on the door and walked into the room. She smiled at the three adults and winked at Maureen. "Okay, the three of you are good to go. You'll need to make an appointment for Tucker to be seen in six weeks and you'll need to be seen in six weeks too by your OBGYN, Olivia. Do you have any questions before you head home?"

"I don't think so." Olivia said confidently.

"Great. Here are your discharge papers. Call if you need anything or have any questions or concerns."

"Thank you for everything." Olivia said, shaking her hand.

Once the doctor left, Fitz grabbed the car seat and looked at Maureen expectantly. "What?" she asked, still sitting in her seat with the baby in her arms.

"We're going home. He's ours and you can't keep him, so hand the baby over." Fitz warned.

"Fine." she declared. "But when you do come back to work next week, I expect some damned donuts. And a good attitude. None of this rudeness I'm getting."

"Good help is so hard to find these days." Fitz muttered.

"What did you just say?" Maureen asked.

Fitz kissed her cheek and took Tucker from her arms without replying to her question. "See you on Monday. Have a good weekend."

The car seat was securely buckled in the backseat of the car and Olivia was determined to sit beside him on the way home. Fitz tugged his son's seatbelt to make sure he was safe and then closed his door. He walked to the other back door and opened it. Olivia looked at him, unsure what he was doing. He gently tugged her seatbelt to make sure she was safe too.

Olivia sat perfectly still and watched her husband do his check. New daddy Fitz was being awfully adorable right now. He looked up at her when he was done and nodded. Just as he was about to pull himself out of the car to close her door, she reached a hand up to the back of his head and smiled at him. "Thank you for checking on us. The last twenty-four hours have been kinda crazy, but I want to tell you that I love you. So much."

He smiled back at her. It blew his mind that this perfectly amazing woman was in love with him. That she had agreed to marry him and now have kids with him. "I can't believe we have a baby, Liv. A beautiful son. I thought you were amazing before yesterday but now, I'm convinced that you are incredibly extraordinary in everything you do. I am in awe of you and I love you so much."

She grabbed a fistful of the front of his shirt and pulled her husband even closer. She gazed at him lovingly for a minute before licking her lips and lifting her head to connect their mouths in a soft kiss. Olivia felt Fitz's left hand cup her cheek before she broke the kiss. "Don't go over forty on the ride home, Fitz." she instructed.

He shot her a horrified look. "Forty? Are you insane? We have a newborn in the car! I'm not going over thirty-five!"

 **I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write this last chapter to end this story. I've enjoyed writing this version of Olitz for you all. Thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed this story. As I've always said, your feedback means so much to me & I appreciate all of you. I requested boy's names on Twitter and Tucker (offered by Bobbi Scott752) Bentley (offered by sharonlatham31) stuck out to me. Thank you ladies for the help! In other news, I've been writing some stuff just for me lately, but new Olitz stories will be coming before long. Until then...**


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